400 migrants brought to US by ISIS-affiliated network, 50 still at large: Report

An ISIS-affiliated human smuggling network has facilitated the entry of more than 400 immigrants from Central Asia into the United States, according to government officials who spoke with NBC News. The officials said over 50 of these immigrants are currently at large within the country and their whereabouts are unknown.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has classified these immigrants as “subjects of concern.” Recently, DHS has intensified its scrutiny of migrants originating from Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Moldova, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan and Russia, citing ISIS-K’s activity in these countries.

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U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) allowed the 400 immigrants into the country several months ago without realizing their ties to the ISIS-affiliated smuggling network. The migrants were not on the terror watch list upon entry.

More than 150 of the immigrants have been arrested, with some facing deportation. However, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) continues to search for over four dozen individuals, intending to apprehend them on immigration charges once their locations are confirmed.

A senior Biden administration official informed NBC News that new evidence linking some of these immigrants to ISIS has prompted officials to exercise caution. The administration aims to mitigate potential risks by using its authority expansively and appropriately.

When asked about the initial report, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas called the reporting “incorrect.”

“We do not have identified 400 people with potential ISIS ties,” Mayorkas said. “And let me again assure you that individuals who are identified to have those ties would pose a concern to us from a public safety and security perspective, and they would be priorities for detention and removal.”

Earlier this month, Straight Arrow News reported that authorities detained eight suspected terrorists with possible ties to ISIS in major U.S. cities. Federal sources said that all eight individuals underwent thorough vetting and were subsequently released into the U.S. after crossing the southern border in 2023 and 2024.

FBI Director Christopher Wray issued a warning to Congress in March, emphasizing the escalating terrorist threats facing the nation.

“I believe the terrorist threat level we’re currently contending with is at a whole other level from the already heightened threat we were seeing even before Oct. 7,” Wray said. “We’ve witnessed a veritable rogue gallery of foreign terrorist organizations calling for attacks against the U.S. in ways we haven’t seen in a long time.”