Daily Caller News Foundation reporter Jennie Taer warned Thursday about the potential influx of terrorists entering the United States through the southern border during an appearance on Sky News Australia.
While Sky News host James Morrow expressed reluctance to be “alarmist” regarding the possibility of terrorists crossing into the United States, Taer asserted that such concerns are not overstated. Taer referenced her reporting on al-Shabaab terrorist who was allowed to roam the U.S. totally free for nearly a year, based on an internal memo exclusively obtained by the DCNF, (RELATED: Feds See Highest Ever Number Of Southern Border Crossings In A Single Month)
WATCH:
The al-Shabaab terrorist was apprehended by federal authorities near San Ysidro, California on March 13, 2023 but was subsequently released. The Terrorist Screening Center characterized him as a “mismatch” after running his name through the terror watchlist, according to the memo, which was sent to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials.
He was arrested nearly one year later in January in Minnesota, according to the memo, which did not name the individual but identified him as a member of the Somali terror group al-Shabaab.
“This sounds like there will never be any way to really realistically deport people even if they have been on terror watchlists. Is America now stuck with potentially — well I don’t want to be alarmist — but even potential sleeper cells and things like that within its own borders?” Morrow asked.
“I don’t think it’s alarmist at this point because we recently reported on an al-Shabaab terrorist that crossed the southern border in March, was apprehended by border patrol and was deemed a ‘mismatch’ on the terror watchlist, which actually ended up not being true,” Taer said.
“He was actually a member of al-Shabaab. They didn’t find that out until after they released him almost a year later in January. Just last month, ICE nabbed him in Minnesota. He was actually not only a member of the terrorist organization, but he was involved in weapons and firearms and explosive manufacturing and movement, and so what was someone like that doing in the country for almost a year? And that’s something that I don’t think is just a one-off case,” Taer asserted.
Federal immigration officials released a Pakistani man who illegally crossed the southern border into California whose name was on a terror watchlist, according to an ICE memo reviewed by the DCNF. Border Patrol nabbed him on Nov. 10, 2023 in Tecate, California and the Terrorism Screening Center confirmed he was a positive match on the terror watchlist on Nov. 22.
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