The Customs and Border Protection agency confirmed to Congress today that four people arrested on the southern border since October 1 correspond to names on the FBI Terrorist Screening Database, said a Congressional adviser informed about the correspondence to Axios.
Why does it matter: Three of the people arrested were from Yemen and one from Serbia. The four prisons are more than the number of similar people taken into custody during the past full fiscal years, according to the source. In fiscal year 2018, six people from Yemen and Bangladesh were arrested.
- Most migrants arriving at the US-Mexico border come from Mexico or Central America and seek asylum, family reunification or better jobs in the USA
- Republican House members who visited the border on Monday said that an unspecified number of migrants crossing the border had names that correspond to those on the terrorist list.
- Former President Trump and other conservatives often warn – sometimes inaccurately – of foreign terrorists entering the United States from the southern border.
The big picture: The watch list is long and includes people who are “known or reasonably suspected of being involved in terrorist activities,” according to the FBI.
- The Department of Homeland Security prevented more than 3,700 people on the watch list from entering the country during fiscal 2017, which ended on September 30, 2017.
- Most were stopped at airports.
Editor’s note: this story has been updated with more details on the watch list.