DAVIS: An Open Southern Border Is Our Greatest Terror Threat

Joe Biden’s reckless policies at the southern border have made our country less safe, and made it easier for the worst members of society to infiltrate the United States.

The FBI is investigating a group of migrants who were allegedly brought into the U.S. by ISIS smugglers, according to a recent report from CNN. The report indicated that no specific plot had been uncovered and that none of the migrants had been detained. Still, the incident should set off alarm bells for anyone who cares about U.S. national security. This report lays bare the reality that the U.S. border is wide open, and that terrorist groups such as ISIS are fully prepared to exploit this reality. 

While Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has insisted that the Biden administration has a handle on the threat of terrorism at the border, it’s clear that they don’t. 

This latest report is far from the first indicator that terrorist groups are taking advantage of the wide-open U.S. southern border. Since the 2023 fiscal year began last October, there have already been 125 people on the terror watch list arrested at the border, breaking the record of 98 set during fiscal year 2022. 

To put these numbers in perspective, there were a combined total of three suspected terrorists arrested at the southern border during fiscal years 2019 and 2020, under former President Donald Trump. The federal government clearly does not have a handle on the threat of terrorism at our border, and leading officials in the Biden administration claiming otherwise are lying to the American public.

More evidence of the threat terrorism poses at our border came earlier this summer when an Inspector General’s report found that the administration had released a suspected terrorist at the border, then allowed him to take a commercial flight days after it was determined that he “was an inconclusive Terrorist Watchlist match.” 

These reckless border policies are empowering terrorist organizations more than two decades after the 9/11 attacks and could set the stage for another catastrophic terror attack on the homeland. The Biden Administration’s anti-border policies are unsustainable for many reasons, not least of which is the reality that the U.S. is the most attractive targets to numerous terror groups. Border security is national security, and sooner or later the costs of America’s open border will be paid in the lives of its citizens. 

In addition to all the suspected terrorists this administration has imported into the U.S., the Biden White House has also allowed innumerable common street criminals to enter and remain in the country. One recent example involves a migrant from Venezuela who has been arrested six times on 14 different charges since arriving in New York City just two months ago. This alien has been accused of attacking residents and police officers, but for some reason has not been deported. It demonstrates how the Biden administration, and sanctuary cities like NYC, prioritize the importation of unvetted foreign nationals over the safety and well-being of their citizens.

The increased threat American citizens are facing as a result of the administration’s border crisis is no accident, and a new book reveals that Biden himself is well aware of the consequences of his policies. According to author Franklin Foer, Biden was set to continue some of the Trump administration’s successful border security policies, but the anti-border forces within his administration ultimately won the day.

“When [Biden] learned that ICE might stop targeting fentanyl dealers, sex offenders and other felons, he exploded in anger,” Foer writes in his book, “The Last Politician.”

If this reporting is true, it demonstrates stunning cowardice on Biden’s part. Due to his advanced age and frail appearance, there has been much speculation over whether or not Biden is fully aware of the damage his administration has inflicted at the border. Foer’s reporting shows that he is, but is simply too cowed by political considerations to do anything about it. Even as terrorist groups and criminals exploit America’s open border, Biden and his administration continue to practice dangerous negligence when it comes to the safety and security of the American people. 

Leading administration officials can continue to insist that they have operational control of the border, but they know, the public knows and — most damning of all — the terrorist groups know that this is not true. 

William J. Davis is a communications associate for the Immigration Reform Law Institute, a public interest law firm working to defend the rights and interests of the American people from the negative effects of mass migration.