Report: CBP has apprehended more than 13,000 “special interest aliens” since October

12/22/2023 / By Ramon Tomey

The Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has apprehended more than 13,000 so-called “special interest aliens” (SIAs) since October, the same month Hamas attacked Israel.

According to CBP, these SIAs come from various nations that have openly expressed support of Hamas – formally the Islamic Resistance Movement. The said aliens hail from nations such as Turkey, Afghanistan, Sudan, Syria Iran, Yemen and Russia. Concerning, however, is the fact that most of these SIAs have been released into the U.S. to pursue asylum claims.

The influx of Turkish citizens is notable, with CBP encountering almost 4,000 along the southwest border in under three months of the new fiscal year. This coincides with a report by the Jerusalem Post (JPost) about Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, an ardent supporter of Hamas, hosting several meetings with the group’s leadership.

According to JPost, Turkey was selected as the site of the meeting “as it was deemed safe enough for the leaders to meet there.” Present in the meeting were Khaled Mashal, chairman of Hamas’ political bureau, and his second-in-command Saleh al-Arouri. Israeli broadcaster Kan 11 also noted that several other senior Hamas officials graced the meeting.

While the secret meeting drew international criticism, the Biden administration’s approach toward it was lacking. It also contrasted with the Trump administration’s response, which strongly objected to such interactions. Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo previously denounced Erdogan’s hosting of Hamas leaders, emphasizing how the group was designated as a terrorist organization by both the U.S. and the European Union.

Meanwhile, more than 1,300 SIAs from Afghanistan – whose ruling Taliban party has a long standing relationship with Hamas – were apprehended. The Taliban’s victory in Afghanistan in August 2021 after Washington’s withdrawal from Kabul was openly praised by Hamas.

More than 300 nationals from Sudan were also apprehended, with the report following Khartoum reestablishing ties with Iran – a known supporter of Hamas. The Office of Foreign Assets Control under the Department of the Treasury has imposed sanctions on key Hamas members, including some who are based in Sudan.

More than 600 Russian nationals who have interacted with Hamas leadership were also apprehended. Nearly 500 SIAs from Syria, Iran and Yemen were also arrested since October, raising security concerns.

Open borders policy puts the U.S. in a bad place

“The situation at the southern border is straining CBP’s ability to conduct effective security operations and screen migrants properly,” YourNews noted.

Approximately 121,000 migrants were apprehended in the first half of December alone, leading to overcrowded U.S. Border Patrol facilities. The rush to process and release migrants includes those deemed as SIAs, potentially risking national security.

Such was the influx of migrants that the Transportation Security Administration, under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), has even designated a special lane at the Tucson International Airport in Arizona. According to Breitbart, the lane was dedicated to migrants without proper identification.

An April 2022 report from the DHS Office of the Inspector General highlighted a case where a migrant on the Terrorist Watch List was released. The same migrant was later encountered attempting to board a flight. Given this, the report emphasized the security risks involved in processing a large number of migrants in a short time frame. (Related: EXCLUSIVE: DHS intelligence officer blows the whistle on massive Islamic terror invasion.)

“This influx of [SIAs] at the U.S. border raises significant concerns about national security and the ability to effectively screen and process individuals coming from regions with known affiliations to terrorist organizations like Hamas,” YourNews concluded.

Watch Kash Patel and Charlie Kirk discuss how President Joe Biden is funding Hamas.

This video is from the Fight With Kash channel on Brighteon.com.