Terrorists, Special Interest Aliens Pose Potential Danger to the American Homefront

Terror attacks in the Middle East and now Russia have American leaders worried about the potential for it to happen in the United States.

More than two million people are unaccounted for and have crossed the U.S. southern border within the past 3.5 years. 

And it is not just those on the terrorism watch list who are raising concerns.

The recent arrest of a Hezbollah bomb maker at the southern border, and ISIS terrorists striking a Moscow nightclub have national security experts concerned the U.S. is also vulnerable.

Jonathan Tobin of the Jewish News Syndicate believes Iranian proxies, Hamas and Hezbollah, are targeting more than just Israel.

"America is a target too, of Islamist terrorism. and until we have a government that takes this seriously, takes border security seriously, we have good reason to worry that this could happen here," he said.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection have reported apprehending 70 illegal immigrants on the terrorism watchlist since October.  

There are also concerns, however, about Special Interest Aliens or SIAS.

These are individuals who may be considered suspicious based on their travel patterns, behavior, or country of origin. 

In the summer of 2023, The Daily Caller published data revealing Customs and Border Protection had flagged about 75,000 SIAS between October 2022 and August 2023. 

During a recent Senate Intelligence Committee hearing, Senator James Lankford asked FBI Director Christopher Wray about these Special Interest Aliens.

"Is the FBI kept in contact from DHS and others who those individuals are or what kind of tracking and monitoring is on those individuals," he asked. 

"I know that we work closely with DHS, especially CBP, on the issue of special interests aliens, including a whole lot of work on the other side of the border to try to prevent them from coming in in the first place.," Wray responded.

"And I know there are instances where we're contacted, but I'm not sure that I as I said right now, I can tell you that we're contacted in every, in every instance," he added. 

It is the criminal getaways or those in the country illegally and not monitored by the FBI and police that worry many Americans.

An illegal immigrant charged with the murder of nursing student Laken Riley and the attack on New York City police officers by Venezuelan migrants are just two recent examples.

Young Voices commentator and writer for The Spectator, Venezuelan American Juan Pablo Villasmil, argues government agencies need to do more to keep SIA criminals out of the country. 

He believes some Special Interest Aliens are members of a notorious Venezuelan gang.

"In New York City, NYPD has already determined that there is a presence of the Tren de Aragua in the city," Villasmil explained. "And as we see crime spread throughout the United States, many of them being brutal crime, a lot of people are asking themselves how many members of the Tren de Aragua are already inside the United States?"

While solutions to prevent criminals from entering the United States are under debate, Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) doesn't believe the recently withdrawn border bill would have fixed the problem.  

He thinks presidential action would make a difference.

"The way you fix the problem is by reversing the executive orders that President Biden put in place in his first month in office which directly led to this crisis," Rubio insisted.

An immigration crisis and national security threats that many Americans feel cannot wait until the next president and Congress take office.