Iranian national with terror ties caught at US northern border, part of record surge

Record numbers of migrants surging into the U.S. have Americans focused on the southern border. However, a recent illegal crossing on the northern border is a reminder of an alarming trend of migrants with terrorism ties crossing into the U.S.

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“We do know that among those aliens the Border Patrol has apprehended, the number of suspected terrorists has increased exponentially,” Chairman Tom McClintock, R-Calif., said during a House Judiciary Committee hearing in September.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced that authorities apprehended an Iranian national with ties to terrorism after he illegally crossed into New York from Canada.

ICE said the Iranian national, who is a permanent resident of Canada where he was wanted for assault, tried crossing into the U.S. on the Rainbow Bridge Pedestrian Walkway in Niagara Falls on Oct. 10, claiming he was an American citizen.

He was denied entry and turned over to Canadian border enforcement.

Just two days later, ICE said the man was arrested as he illegally crossed into the U.S. In December, the man was returned to Canadian authorities.

The newly released information comes as ICE data shows a record number of encounters with known or suspected terrorists coming into the U.S. from the northern border.

In the first three months of the 2024 fiscal year, which began Oct. 1, ICE said field agents apprehended 80 people with ties to terrorism at both borders, 46 of them at the northern border.

The Department of Homeland Security has said that the increase is consistent with the overall increase of migrants crossing into the U.S., including the number of migrants from the Eastern Hemisphere, which includes Africa and the Middle East.

“The increase in encounters of individuals on the terror screening data set are largely commensurate with the increased flow to the border more broadly,” A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told NBC reporters. “Naturally, as we see more people arrive at the border from different countries, we are more likely going to see an increase in individuals who might be on the watchlist or directly related to terror activity.”

According to the data, the numbers are trending upward. In 2023, ICE apprehended a record number of 736 known or suspected terrorists at U.S. border crossings, two-thirds of them along the border with Canada. So far, 2024 is shaping up to beat that.