The White House on Tuesday linked the lax border policies of then-President Biden and Democrats in Congress to Sunday’s Boulder, Colorado, terror attack, saying the brutal assault was the result of criminals flooding into the country illegally. 

“This tragedy is a sobering reminder of the consequences of the Biden administration’s failed policies,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said at Tuesday’s press briefing, adding that the attack was “a predictable result of letting anti-American radicals and illegal immigrants pour into our country.” 

She pointed to the arrest of 1,500 illegal immigrants in Massachusetts, many of whom have criminal records, saying Democrats’ efforts to block deportations can open up the U.S. to similar attacks.

“Democrats are putting law-abiding Americans at risk, and these insane policies force law enforcement officials to make much more difficult arrests that put their lives and our law enforcement lives in jeopardy,” she said. 

Suspect Mohamed Sabry Soliman arrived in the U.S. from Egypt in August 2022 on a tourist visa that permitted him to stay in the country until February 2023. He then filed for work authorization that granted him legal status until March 28, meaning he overstayed his visa in the country for two months.

According to a federal complaint, Mr. Soliman threw two homemade Molotov cocktails during a rally that was calling for the release of hostages held by Hamas following the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel.

During an interview with federal authorities, the complaint states, Mr. Soliman said he “wanted to kill all Zionist people and wished they were all dead.”

Ms. Leavitt said that as part of the Trump administration’s efforts to round up and deport migrants, law enforcement authorities just wrapped up a monthlong surge arresting nearly 1,500 illegal immigrants in Massachusetts. She said about half of them had “significant criminal convictions or charges pending against them.” 

Among them, according to Ms. Leavitt, were a Salvadoran wanted by Interpol for homicide, a Colombian charged with kidnapping and rape, and a Guatemalan convicted of murder in Boston. 

“I don’t think anybody in this room wants these types of heinous criminals in your communities; thanks to this administration, they are being removed from our country,” Ms. Leavitt said. “Democrat-run jurisdictions release violent illegal alien criminals back into communities after making arrests, instead of turning them over to federal immigration enforcement like they should.” 

• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.