Ex-Border Patrol chief rips Biden admin for allegedly suppressing info on migrants with potential terror ties
Immigration has appeared as a top issue in 2024 for voters
By Adam Shaw Fox News
3 min read| Published September 19, 2024 5:52pm EDT
A former Border Patrol sector chief told lawmakers that he was blocked from informing the public about migrants who may be potential terror threats, as he says the Biden administration wanted to downplay the threat.
"In San Diego, we had an exponential increase in Significant Interest Aliens [SIAs]. These are aliens with significant ties to terrorism," former San Diego Sector Chief Patrol official Aaron Heitke told lawmakers on the House Homeland Security Committee.
"Prior to this administration, the San Diego sector averaged 10-15 SIAs per year. Once word was out that the border was far easier to cross, San Diego went to over 100 SIAs in 2022, way over 100 SIAs in 2023 and more than that this year," he warned. "These are only the ones we caught."
Heitke says he was told he couldn’t release information about that increase.
"At the time, I was told I could not release any information on this increase in SIAs or mention any of the arrests. The administration was trying to convince the public that there was no threat at the border," he said.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Department of Homeland Security for comment on Heitke’s remarks.
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https://www.foxnews.com/politics/ex-border-patrol-chief-rips-biden-admin-allegedly-suppressing-info-migrants-potential-terror-ties
