DHS identifies 400 migrants smuggled into US by ISIS-affiliated network
By Social Links for Isabel Keane
Published June 26, 2024, 7:51 a.m. ET
The Department of Homeland Security has identified over 400 migrants who were brought to the US from Central Asia and other places by an ISIS-affiliated human smuggling network — and the whereabouts of more than 50 of them are unknown, according to an unsettling report.
More than 150 of the migrants have been arrested, but the locations of another 50 remain unknown, three US officials told NBC News, adding that US Immigration and Customs Enforcement is looking to arrest those involved on immigration charges.
“In this case, it was the information that suggested a potential tie to ISIS because of some of the individuals involved in [smuggling migrants to the border] that led us to want to take extra care,” a senior Biden administration official told the outlet, “and out of an abundance of caution make sure that we exercised our authority in the most expansive and appropriate way to mitigate risk because of this potential connection being made.”
The official noted that since ICE started arresting migrants brought into the US by the smuggling group several months ago, no information has tied them to any threats to the US.
Many of the over 400 migrants involved had crossed the southern border and were released into the country by Customs and Border Protection because they were not on the government’s terrorism watchlist, the three anonymous officials said.
While the agency did not have information raising concerns at the time the migrants entered the country, recent terrorist attacks in Russia have caused heightened concern over ISIS and its offshoot ISIS-K.
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https://nypost.com/2024/06/26/us-news/dhs-identifies-400-migrants-smuggled-into-us-by-isis-affiliated-network/
