Media reports indicate that three Palestinian migrants who illegally entered the United States via the southern border have been detained due to suspected ties to terrorism.
According to federal law enforcement sources mentioned by the New York Post, one of the migrants possessed “inappropriate photos” on their phone, which included an image of a masked individual armed with an AK-47 rifle.
Besides the Palestinians, a migrant from Turkey is also suspected of having connections to terrorist organizations.
The specific terrorist group with which the migrants are allegedly associated remains uncertain.
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A Hamas terrorist participates in a military parade. Three Palestinian migrants apprehended at the southern border were detained after being suspected of having terrorist connections. (Reuters/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/File Photo)
Fox News Digital has contacted border authorities for further details.
The migrants belonged to a larger group that voluntarily approached border agents in the San Diego Sector. They were subsequently taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force is currently investigating their cases.
Agents at the San Diego Sector have reported being overwhelmed and lacking access to international criminal databases to effectively vet migrants, according to an unidentified agent who spoke to the outlet under conditions of anonymity.
“We have no access to any international information about these individuals. It’s quite frustrating,” the agent stated. “I joined Border Patrol to help protect against terrorism, and now I’m concerned that I might be inadvertently allowing terrorists into the country.”
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Migrants queue at the southern border in San Diego on June 6, 2024. (Fox News)
Border officials in San Diego have been instructed to be vigilant for individuals possibly associated with Palestinian terrorist organizations following the October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas.
A prior alert noted, “The San Diego Field Office Intelligence Unit assesses that individuals motivated by or responding to the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict may seek transit to or from the areas of conflict in the Middle East through circuitous routes across the Southwest border.”
“Foreign combatants driven by ideology or mercenary desires may attempt to disguise their travel from or into the United States through Mexico,” the memo stated.
It also included insignia from various terrorist groups, including Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and Hezbollah.
This image illustrates the gap in the southern border within the San Diego sector. (Fox News)
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The number of illegal migrants identified with names on the terror watchlist has significantly risen under the Biden administration, increasing from just a few cases prior to his taking office to 98 in fiscal year 2022. This number surged to 169 in fiscal year 2023, according to federal statistics.
