Mayorkas: We ‘Enhanced’ Screening, Vetting But Didn’t Know Possible ISIS Ties of Tajik Nationals Who Crossed Border

On Tuesday’s broadcast of CNN’s “Laura Coates Live,” Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas commented on the arrest of eight Tajik nationals with alleged ISIS ties who crossed over the border by stating that there is an increased terrorism threat, “and we have enhanced our screening and vetting accordingly.” But we didn’t know about the issues with these individuals when they were encountered at the border.

Guest host Jim Acosta asked, “I do want to ask you about the recent arrest of eight Tajik nationals with alleged ties to ISIS who crossed the southern border requesting asylum. The former CIA Director, Leon Panetta, told CNN, this is a, quote, 9/11 wake-up call. Do you share the assessment that ISIS could be exploiting vulnerabilities down at the border to attack the United States? What’s your sense of that?”

Mayorkas answered, “Jim, we in the law enforcement community and the intelligence community have been speaking of a heightened threat environment, certainly exacerbated in the wake of the October 7 terrorist attacks against Israel. We have been speaking about the threat of domestic violent extremism, individuals already resident in the United States who are radicalized by foreign terrorist ideologies, false narratives, anti-government sentiments, personal grievances, and other phenomena. We also have seen a growth in the foreign terrorist threat, and we have enhanced our screening and vetting accordingly. We had eight individuals of concern as to whom we did not have derogatory information when first encountered at the border. We made determinations in the service of our law enforcement objectives, in the service of our highest priority, to keep the American people safe and secure, to take immigration enforcement action, and that is indeed what we did.”

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