Biden administration under fire as DHS screens 150 US immigrants for smuggling in through ISIS network

WASHINGTON, DC: A senior Department of Homeland Security official said on Wednesday, June 26, that the DHS has identified over 400 people who were brought to the country from Eastern European and Central Asian nations in recent months by an ISIS-affiliated smuggling network.

Over 150 people who have been detained by authorities thus far have either been removed, put into removal proceedings, or are undergoing further screening.

They declined to say if or how many people had been added to the terror watchlist. However, as per Fox News, they acknowledged that a small number of the remaining fifty people "may match the terrorism watch list."

DHS official says most of the 400 US immigrants are not considered 'subjects of concern'

"There is no intelligence that suggests the remaining individuals pose an imminent threat to the homeland," the official said.

According to the officials, only a small percentage of the 400 are deemed "subjects of concern," with the majority not falling into that category.

The network was discovered because, as a precaution, authorities sought to locate, detain, and screen every person associated with it after it was established that one of the organizers had connections to the Islamic terror group.

What did Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas say?

Alejandro Mayorkas, the secretary of homeland security, stressed on Wednesday at a press conference in Arizona that it was "incorrect" to claim that 400 immigrants who may have links to ISIS had been brought into the country. 

"We do not have identified 400 people with potential ISIS ties, 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 would be priorities for detention and removal," he said.

"Precision when one is dealing with the facts is very, very important," he added.

Eight ISIS-linked Tajikistan nationals were arrested in New York City, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia recently

NBC News broke the news of the network's details first.

The most recent information was made public a few weeks after federal agents in New York City, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia apprehended eight citizens of Tajikistan who had connections to ISIS, Fox 11 reported.

All eight entered the country illegally through the southern border, but no negative information was detected when they were being processed.

Department of Homeland Security doesn't believe this is an ISIS terror operation

DHS thinks this is a network preying on migrants trying to enter the United States rather than an ISIS terror operation. But because of their home countries, there is an increased security risk.

Border guards are being directed to hold anyone entering certain nations or connected to the network so that more screening can be done.

DHS officials claim all migrants are thoroughly screened before being allowed to enter the US

NBC stated that DHS has been closely examining Central Asian migrants in light of the recent terror attacks in Russia carried out by ISIS and its affiliates.

Although officials claim that all migrants are thoroughly screened before being allowed to enter the country, they have previously acknowledged that it can be challenging to screen them because they frequently show up with no information.

Recently, acting Director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Patrick Lechleitner, stated that during a person's vetting process, "sometimes there is just no information on individuals."

"It is quite common where there is just nothing, you don't have anything. There's no criminal convictions, no threat information or whatever on these individuals. Or maybe these individuals are from an area that is particularly of concern but that pops up later when you get information later on," he said.

Special Operations Association of America is 'gravely concerned' about terrorist threats to the US

The Special Operations Association of America (SOAA) warned its members are "gravely concerned" about the terrorist threat to the United States and Americans abroad in a letter sent on Tuesday.

SOAA represents thousands of Army Rangers, Green Berets, Navy SEALs, and other current and former elite special operations forces.

"Our complete withdrawal from Afghanistan, without a viable stay-behind or over-the-horizon counterterrorism and intelligence capability to suppress threats, has created a vacuum in the region in which anti-American terrorist groups, such as Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, are flourishing once again," the letter stated. The lack of intelligence collection in the region has put the United States "at risk."

The "unsecured southern border" exacerbates the threat posed by terrorism, the letter claimed. "We do not know how many other terrorists are already currently inside the U.S."

CIA also gave stern warnings about potential terrorist attacks in the US

Former national security officials' letter is the most recent in a string of alerts regarding the threat posed by terrorism. "There's a lack of a sense of urgency here," former CIA acting Director Michael Morell told CBS' 'Face The Nation' Sunday. "The American people need to understand what the threat is."

Republicans blame Joe Biden and his policies for the ISIS smuggling network

Republicans immediately responded to the revelations of the smuggling network by blaming the Biden administration and its policies at the southern border.

"I am a proud former U.S. Air Force fighter pilot who fought ISIS in Syria and Iraq. Now the Biden administration has opened our border, allowing these terrorists to smuggle illegal aliens into our country," Rep August Pfluger (R-Texas) chairman of the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Counterterrorism, told Fox News.

"I will seek immediate action from the administration and work with my colleagues to address any security gaps. The safety of our nation must always be our top priority," Pfluger added.

Internet lambasts Biden government for putting the US' security at risk

Netizens berated the present US government after 400 migrants were linked to ISIS terrorist group. One X (formerly Twitter) user lashed at Biden, tweeting, "Joe Biden sees Americans, especially women and girls, as collateral damage to his liberal anti-American agenda."

Another remarked, "No previous presidential administration has ever put Americans in danger to the degree that this one and its craptastic policies have. Hurry, November!"

"Great, just great. Biden and Mayorkas are a dangerous clown show," added one while a user wrote, "Let the citizens take care of theses scum bags."

"If they really wanted to catch them, and if they actually cared, they would release names and pictures," opined one.

Another penned, "Boogity boogity boo! If your life sucks it's because of you! Great jobs and plummeting crime. Thanks President Biden!"

"Biden Border Catastrophe," echoed one user.

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.