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illegal immigration

Surge In ‘Inadmissible’ Afghans Trying To Cross Southern Border Is Nothing Short Of Alarming

Published

8 months ago

7 minute read

From the Daily Caller News Foundation

By TERENCE P. JEFFREY

 

There is good reason for Americans to be concerned about individuals from Afghanistan coming across our southern border.

When Gen. Michael Kurilla, commander of U.S. Central Command, testified in the Senate Armed Services Committee on March 7 he issued a warning about ISIS-K, a terrorist group based in Afghanistan.

“[V]arious groups in the Central Region retain the capability and will to target U.S. interests abroad in under six months with little to no warning,” Kurilla said in a written statement to the committee.

“We assess an attack on American soil would likely take longer,” he said.

“Taliban pressure against ISIS-K temporarily disrupted the group’s ability to plan and conduct attacks against the Homeland and Western targets, but that pressure has been intermittent and insufficient,” Kurilla said in his statement.

“ISIS-K and its allies retain a safe haven in Afghanistan, and they continue to develop their networks in and out of the country,” he said.

“Their goals do not stop there,” he said.

“They have called for attacks globally on anyone not aligned with their extremist ideology, and Taliban efforts to suppress the group have proven insufficient,” he said. “The recent ISIS attack in Kerman, Iran demonstrates the group’s resiliency and indicates that they retain the capability to conduct spectacular external operations.”

What happened in Kerman?

“ISIS-K killed 91 Iranians and injured 284 others in Kerman on 3 January 2024,” Kurilla said. “This was the deadliest terror attack in Iran since 1979 and it is part of ISIS’ effort to exploit the war in Gaza to rejuvenate its global attacks.”

ISIS-K is not the only terrorist group in Afghanistan.

“Al Qaeda, while weakened, still enjoys safe havens in Afghanistan and Yemen. Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) operates training camps, safehouses, and religious schools in Afghanistan,” he said.

“Both AQIS and AQAP [Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula] continue to call for lone wolf attacks on U.S. and Western interests via their digital reach,” he said.

Republican Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas, who served as a U.S. Army officer in Afghanistan, questioned Kurilla about what he had said about ISIS and al-Qaeda.

In this exchange, Kurilla said an ISIS attack in Europe or Eurasia is more likely in the near future than one in the United States itself.

“You said — and this is close to a direct quote — that we could see attacks against U.S. or Western interests abroad with little to no warning in as little as six months,” Cotton said. “Are you speaking there about ISIS and al-Qaeda from Afghanistan?”

Kurilla responded: “ISIS-Khorasan specifically, and also out of Syria, which they are trying to factor into predominantly European countries.”

“So,” said Cotton, “ISIS out of either Afghanistan or Syria, attacks against U.S. interests and Western interests abroad in as little as six months. Now, abroad can mean a lot of things. Abroad could mean our embassy in Tajikistan. It could also mean Western Europe or North America.

“Could you be more specific?” Cotton asked.

“Europe and Eurasia,” said Kurilla.

“What is the timeline you foresee in which those terrorist organizations could launch an attack with little or no warning against the American homeland?” asked Cotton.

“I think it is … a lot more difficult for them to be able to do that and requires substantially more resources,” responded Kurilla.

“OK,” said Cotton, “so six months anywhere across Eurasia and indeterminate time in North America?”

“Yes,” said CENTCOM’s commander.

When Kurilla had testified in the Senate Armed Services Committee in March 2023, he admitted that U.S. intelligence gathering in Iraq had diminished.

“At one time, we had 60 balloons over Kabul, Afghanistan,” Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama said to Kurilla then. “Our ISR [intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance] is very limited. How confident are you in the intelligence you have to see threats rising from the Taliban?”

“Our intelligence has degraded since we are no longer in Afghanistan,” Kurilla said. “I believe we can see the broad contours of an attack. Sometimes we lack the granularity to see the full picture and we’re working to close that gap with our alternative airborne ISR and some of our other intelligence that we are working to penetrate those networks.”

Since this nation’s military forces were withdrawn from Afghanistan in 2021, the Biden administration has been conducting “Operation Enduring Sentinel.” Last month, the inspectors general for this operation released their report for the first quarter of 2024.

Operation Enduring Sentinel, it explains, is “the U.S. mission to conduct over-the-horizon counterterrorism operations against threats emanating from Afghanistan and to engage with Central Asian and South Asian regional partners to combat terrorism and promote regional stability.”

The United States, of course, is continuing to accept refugee applications from people fleeing the situation in Afghanistan. “From October 1, 2020, to March 6, 2024, USCIS interviewed approximately 24,400 Afghan refugee applicants,” said the inspectors general report.

Then there are those who are not refugee applicants.

“In addition,” said the report, “U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) encountered 68 Afghan ‘inadmissible non-citizens’ at the U.S. Southwest Border in FY 2022 and 342 in FY 2023.

“As of March 5,” it said, “CBP had encountered 932 in FY 2024.” 

How many “inadmissible non-citizen” Afghans made it across the southwest border in those first 156 days of this fiscal year without being encountered by the Border Patrol?

It only took 19 al-Qaeda terrorists to carry out the 9/11 attack.

Terence P. Jeffrey is the investigative editor of the Daily Caller News Foundation. To find out more about Terence P. Jeffrey and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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illegal immigration

Trump signs executive order cutting off taxpayer-funded benefits for illegal aliens

Published on February 20, 2025

By

MXM logo  MxM News

Quick Hit:

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Wednesday night barring illegal immigrants from receiving federally funded benefits, a move he says will ensure taxpayer dollars are reserved for American citizens in need.

Key Details:

  • The order directs federal agencies to identify and cut off benefits to illegal immigrants.
  • Trump argues the Biden administration “undermined” federal law and improperly expanded benefits to non-citizens.
  • The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk, is tasked with reviewing all federal funding sources for illegal aliens.
  • The order mandates stricter eligibility verification systems and calls for improper payments to be referred to the DOJ and DHS.

Diving Deeper:

President Donald Trump took executive action Wednesday night to block illegal immigrants from receiving taxpayer-funded federal benefits, calling the move necessary to uphold the rule of law and protect resources for American citizens, including veterans and individuals with disabilities.

In signing the order, Trump pointed to the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA), which was supposed to bar most illegal immigrants from accessing government benefits. However, he argued that multiple administrations—especially President Joe Biden’s—had worked to “undermine” these restrictions, effectively allowing taxpayer funds to support illegal immigration.

“The Biden administration repeatedly undercut the goals of that law, resulting in the improper expenditure of significant taxpayer resources,” Trump said. He further asserted that these benefits had acted as a “magnet” for illegal immigration, drawing more people across the border unlawfully.

The order directs the heads of all federal agencies to identify programs that currently allow illegal aliens to receive taxpayer-funded benefits and to take “all appropriate actions” to bring them in line with federal law. It also aims to prevent federal funds from subsidizing sanctuary policies, which shield illegal immigrants from deportation.

One of the most significant aspects of the order is the role of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a relatively new federal agency led by billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk. DOGE is tasked with reviewing all sources of federal funding for illegal immigrants and recommending additional measures to align spending with Trump’s directive. Trump has praised Musk and DOGE for cutting through bureaucratic resistance to implement his policies.

Additionally, the order calls for enhanced eligibility verification systems to prevent illegal immigrants from obtaining benefits in the first place. Federal agencies are also required to refer any improper payments to the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security for further action.

The move is the latest in Trump’s aggressive crackdown on illegal immigration, a central issue of his presidency and his 2024 re-election campaign. With a focus on border security, ending sanctuary policies, and tightening federal spending, Trump’s executive order represents yet another step in his administration’s effort to reverse the policies of his predecessor and enforce strict immigration laws.

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Crime

Cartel threats against border agents include explosives, drones

Published on February 18, 2025

By

MXM logo MxM News

Quick Hit:

Cartels are intensifying their threats against U.S. Border Patrol and ICE agents, employing increasingly sophisticated tactics, including drones, wireless tracking devices, and potential explosive attacks. As President Donald Trump strengthens border security measures, agents face growing dangers both at and beyond the southern border. Experts warn that these threats are an effort to counteract the administration’s immigration enforcement policies.

Key Details:

  • Cartels are using drones and wireless tracking to monitor and potentially attack Border Patrol and ICE agents.
  • The discovery of a security risk tied to body cameras has led CBP to suspend their use to prevent agents from being tracked.
  • Leaks of ICE raids pose additional threats, increasing the risk of ambushes against agents conducting enforcement operations.

Diving Deeper:

Cartels along the U.S.-Mexico border are becoming more aggressive as President Trump enforces stricter immigration policies, with reports indicating that border agents are facing an escalating range of security threats. Fox News reports that Mexican cartels are leveraging new technology to track and potentially harm Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.

Lora Ries, director of the Heritage Foundation’s Border Security and Immigration Center, emphasized that cartels are feeling the pressure from Trump’s border policies and are resorting to dangerous countermeasures. “The cartels are losing business. The encounters at the border are the lowest they’ve been in decades, and the cartels are not just going to give up that business quietly,” Ries told Fox News.

Among the threats agents face are drones used for surveillance, gunfire from across the border, and even the possibility of improvised explosive devices (IEDs). A recent internal memo warned that cartels might be planning to use snipers positioned in Mexico to attack U.S. agents. Additionally, agents are now vulnerable to tracking through wireless technology, prompting CBP to suspend the use of body-worn cameras after a social media post revealed they could be exploited via Bluetooth scanning apps.

The suspension of body cameras has raised concerns about increased false claims against border agents. Ries warned that “the number of claims of abuse are about to jump to exploit this lack of camera use,” underscoring the challenges agents will face without recorded footage of their encounters.

Beyond external threats from cartels, agents must also contend with internal security risks. Leaks about upcoming ICE raids have made enforcement operations more dangerous, potentially exposing agents to ambushes. Ries noted, “That subjects ICE agents to an ambush… Worse would be if aliens stay here and attack ICE agents, that is a risk.”

To counter these threats, border security experts stress the need for increased congressional funding to provide CBP and ICE agents with enhanced technology, equipment, and manpower. Ries urged lawmakers to act swiftly, stating, “Congress needs to hurry up” to ensure agents have the necessary resources to carry out Trump’s mass deportation efforts and secure the southern border.

As cartels escalate their tactics in response to Trump’s immigration policies, the safety of border agents remains a growing concern, highlighting the urgent need for stronger enforcement and security measures.

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