A multi-agency manhunt resulted in the arrest of a South African migrant and suspected terrorist in Brooklyn, New York. Texas Highway Patrol troopers initially detained the unidentified man in Texas in September 2024. He was arrested for criminal trespass as part of Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s Operation Lone Star and was turned over to federal immigration authorities for removal proceedings. Despite being identified by the state authorities as being the subject of an alert on the FBI’s Terrorist Screening Database, federal authorities released the migrant to pursue an asylum claim.

According to a Tuesday X post by Border Patrol Chief Jason Owens, the unnamed South African migrant was released into the United States based on information available at that time. As reported by Breitbart Texas, the migrant was identified by Texas Department of Public Safety troopers as Umar Farooq Ashraf, a South African citizen. The alert from the FBI’s Terrorist Screening Database identified the man as the possible spouse or child of a known or suspected terrorist. Owens did not specify why federal immigration authorities released Farooq-Ashraf before fully investigating the information contained in the FBI’s TSDB.

A spokesperson with the Texas Department of Public Safety Highway Patrol confirmed the arrest of Farooq-Ashraf and said the migrant was transported to Del Rio, Texas after being arrested crossing the border into Eagle Pass. The spokesperson confirmed the discovery of the FBI TSDB alert shortly after Farooq-Ashraf’s arrest. According to the spokesperson, Farook-Ashraf was turned over to federal immigration authorities in Del Rio, Texas, shortly after his arrest.

According to Owens X-post, Farooq-Ashraf, not named in the post, was captured in Brooklyn and now awaits removal while in federal custody. According to the FBI, the Terrorist Screening Database (TSDB) contains information related to specific individuals reasonably suspected to be involved in terrorism (or related activities).  A person’s name being listed in the TSDB triggers a reporting process that alerts the FBI to an encounter by the Border Patrol. Owens did not indicate whether the South African migrant was added to the list after his illegal entry into the United States along the Texas/Mexico border or if authorities missed an alert.

Under the Biden-Harris administration, the number of migrants arrested attempting to enter the United States illegally at the southwest border who appeared in the Terror Screening Database skyrocketed. During the four fiscal years of the Trump administration (FY 17 through FY 20), agents apprehended only 14 migrants appearing in the national security database, compared to the more than 385 terror watch list migrants encountered since fiscal year 2021.

The South African migrant highlighted in Chief Owens’s posting on X is not the first instance of a migrant being released into the United States who has appeared on the terror watch list and subsequently gained release into the United States. In an April 2022 investigative report issued by the DHS Office of the Inspector General, one migrant on the terrorist watch list was released by the Border Patrol in Yuma, Arizona. The report noted a series of failures by multiple DHS agencies resulted in the failure to conclusively determine that the migrant was on the Terrorist Watchlist, resulting in the migrant’s release from custody.

In that instance, the migrant and immediate family members were later encountered attempting to board an aircraft by TSA security screening personnel at the Palm Springs International Airport. Despite the second encounter by DHS personnel, the migrant was ultimately able to travel to Tampa, Florida, and was not rearrested by ICE for more than two weeks.

A request for additional information or comment was submitted to Customs and Border Protection. A response was not received by press time.

Randy Clark is a 32-year veteran of the United States Border Patrol.  Prior to his retirement, he served as the Division Chief for Law Enforcement Operations, directing operations for nine Border Patrol Stations within the Del Rio, Texas, Sector. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @RandyClarkBBTX.