The Department of Homeland Security does not know the whereabouts of roughly 50 illegal immigrants who are "subjects of concern" and were part of more than 400 brought into the United States by an ISIS-affiliated smuggling network, NBC News reported Tuesday.
The 400 were released into the U.S., per Biden administration border policy, because they were not on the terrorist watchlist, reported NBC News, citing U.S. officials.
More than 150 have been arrested — some deported — and DHS knows the whereabouts of another 200 who are scattered across 17 states. However, there are 50 who are roaming the country, actively searched for by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to the report.
https://www.newsmatwitter.com/newsfront/dhs-search-illegal/2024/06/25/id/1170122/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR1-SkBOlCJ5mCZz_oO5p0yRy3XxO2R-ZfAJNQ1XmVRm2OVps_C1V1zbq1k_aem_g3cFQOgfiI8jXpYNv7w5EQThe worry is that an unknown number of the 400 are possibly linked to ISIS or its offshoot ISIS-K, illegal migrants possibly from Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Moldova, Kyrgyzstan, Georgia, and Russia, according to the report.
"The fact that the whereabouts were unknown is clearly alarming," former FBI counterterrorism section chief Christopher O'Leary told NBC News.
ICE has charged the 150 arrested with immigration violations, a charge it will use against the remaining 50 — if they find them.
"I believe the [U.S.] is scrambling to locate these individuals, and using the immigration charges is not uncommon," O'Leary told NBC News. "They are in violation of that law. And if you need to take somebody off the street, that's a good approach to do it."