EXCLUSIVE — Nearly two dozen lawmakers expressed concerns about the possibility of U.S. adversaries sneaking into the country via the southern border to the secretaries of defense and homeland security.
The lawmakers, all Republicans, wrote a letter to Secretaries Lloyd Austin and Alejandro Mayorkas dated on Monday and obtained by the Washington Examiner, where they discussed the terrorist attacks earlier this month in Israel and whether any of Israel's adversaries could look to conduct an attack on U.S. soil by exploiting the southern border.
NEWSOM TRIP TO CHINA TO DISCUSS CLIMATE CHANGE FILLED WITH CONTROVERSY
"In light of the barbaric attack in Israel, we are also concerned about Iran’s proxies and other terrorist groups taking advantage of the Southern border to launch a terror attack from within our homeland," they said. "Given this Administration has left our Southern border wide open, our nation is threatened. ... This Administration’s failure to secure our border is a deep vulnerability that only invites future threats from various terrorist groups."
U.S. Border Patrol caught more than 170 known or suspected terrorists illegally entering the United States from Mexico or Canada over the past 12 months, the highest number in national history, according to data released earlier this month. The total surpassed the previous record of 98 people in 2022 and 16 people in 2021, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data.
One hundred seventy-two people arrested at the border from October 2022 to September 2023 were on the Federal Bureau of Investigation terror watch list, also known as the Terrorist Screening Database. There were roughly 2,037,000 arrests at the southern border during that time period.
"We cannot allow terrorists, especially Iranian proxies and CCP agents, to infiltrate our Southern border," Rep. Mark Alford (R-MO) said in a statement to the Washington Examiner. "That is why we're asking DoD and DHS to confirm if any agents have crossed [our] border, planned terrorist attacks that have been thwarted, and if any CCP agents that have crossed our border attempted to access U.S. military installations. It’s difficult to project credible American military power and deterrence abroad when the Biden Administration cannot or will not even secure our own border. We owe it to the American people to protect our country and secure the border once and for all."
The lawmakers also expressed concern that the Chinese Communist Party could be exploiting the chaos at the border for their own benefit.
"The CCP or any adversary through a proxy or otherwise, cannot be allowed to launch an attack against our country. It’s difficult to project credible American military power and deterrence abroad when the Biden Administration cannot or will not even secure our own border," they wrote.
The lawmakers asked for answers to a list of questions provided within the letter by no later than Dec. 13. They want to know whether the government has intelligence or confirmation that Hamas, Hezbollah, or any other Iranian-backed group has “infiltrated our southern border,” whether they’re aware of any foiled terrorist attempts since 2021 due to someone getting caught at the border, and what steps DHS and DOD are taking to ensure terrorists don’t come across the border, among others.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
“Our foreign adversaries seek to exploit any weakness that we may show, and our Southern border is certainly a weak point. Border Patrol has repeatedly confirmed that illegal immigrants with terrorist ties have been apprehended at the Southern border, but following the terrorist attack in Israel, we need to know exactly who is flooding unabated into our country," Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO) told the Washington Examiner. "From Chinese nationals with ties to the CCP to state-sponsored terrorists, America is less safe because of our porous Southern border, and the American people deserve answers.”
The lawmakers who signed the letter include Alford, Schmitt, Sens. Roger Wicker (R-MS), Ted Budd (R-NC), Rick Scott (R-FL), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), and Reps. Nancy Mace (R-SC), Mike Collins (R-GA), Christopher Smith (R-NJ), Ben Cline (R-VA), Kat Cammack (R-FL), Andy Biggs (R-AZ), John Joyce (R-PA), Randy Weber (R-TX), Eric Burlison (R-MO), Morgan Luttrell (R-TX), Bill Posey (R-FL), Carlos Gimenez (R-FL), Ronny Jackson (R-TX), Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-MO), and Jason Smith (R-MO).