In addressing the committee's queries about the presence of known or suspected terrorists among these undocumented individuals, Wray emphasized the gravity of the situation, stating that such groups are of "great concern" to the bureau.
"Can the FBI guarantee American people that known or suspected terrorists, including any from Hamas or other terror groups, are not amongst those gotaways?" he asked. "Well, certainly the group of people that you're talking about are a source of great concern for us. That's why we're aggressively using all 56 of our joint terrorism task forces."
Wray added: "Any time you have a group of people in the United States that we don't know nearly enough about, that is a source of concern for us from a perspective in our lane of protecting Americans." Wray assured the committee that the FBI is taking robust measures to address this challenge.
The director highlighted the evolving landscape of border security, particularly as it pertains to individuals about whom the bureau lacks comprehensive information.
During the hearing, Wray acknowledged a disturbing trend – the increasing number of suspected terrorists attempting to cross the southern border.
Although he refrained from speculating on the driving forces behind this surge, he underlined its significance. This comes against the backdrop of record-level encounters with illegal immigrants along the U.S.-Mexico border, as reported by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Wray's testimony also touched on the broader context of border security, with October figures indicating approximately 240,000 encounters, marking an 11 percent decline from the previous month.
At least 2.5 million illegals stayed in the U.S. during Biden's first 26 months as president
Also, the Republican-led House Judiciary Committee reported that at least 2.5 million illegal immigrants had no confirmed departure from the U.S. after entering between January 20, 2021 and March 31, 2023, or roughly coinciding with President Joe Biden's first two years in office. (Related: MASS INVASION about to be unleashed against America as "border restrictions" end.)
U.S. authorities have emphasized the reinstatement of deportation flights to Venezuela, commencing on October 18, coinciding with Venezuelans surpassing Mexicans as the predominant nationality encountered at the border.
The apprehension of Venezuelans witnessed a substantial decline, plummeting by 45 percent from 54,833 to 29,637, maintaining their position as the second-highest nationality detained after Mexicans. Notably, arrests of Venezuelans experienced an even steeper drop, decreasing by 74 percent in the latter half of October compared to September.
Overall arrests for unauthorized border crossings totaled 188,778 in October, marking a decline from the 218,763 recorded in September, which stood as the second-highest monthly figure on record.
The surge in arrests over the preceding three months, attributed to adjustments by illegal migrants and smugglers following new asylum regulations implemented in May, contributed to this fluctuation.
A marginal increase was observed in the arrests of Chinese nationals, reaching 4,247, predominantly concentrated in the San Diego area, where 99 percent of these incidents occurred. This trend is indicative of a growing number of individuals flying to Ecuador before making their way to the U.S. border.
The use of the CBP One mobile app for scheduled appointments facilitated the entry of over 44,000 individuals from Mexico, contributing to the cumulative total of 324,000 appointments since the app's introduction in January.
An additional 270,000 people from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela accessed the country by applying online with a financial sponsor and subsequently arriving at an airport.
This comprehensive data offers insights into the evolving patterns of border crossings, shedding light on the diverse nationalities, migration methods, and technological tools influencing immigration dynamics. The political discourse surrounding the Biden administration's border policies, particularly among Republicans who contend that lax security measures contribute to illegal immigration, was implicitly addressed.
Watch this video about the FBI issuing a terror warning after authorities caught illegals with IEDs at the southern border.
This video is from the BehindTheLinePodcast channel on Brighteon.com.
More related stories:
Texas border sector reports 10K known border crossers in single week.
BORDER DEFENSE: America protects US-Mexico border with barbed wire and verbal warnings.
Sources include:
Please contact us for more information.
