The Trump administration has reported the arrest of over 1,900 noncitizens in the United States, whom it identifies as terrorists who entered the country during the Biden administration. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin stated this during a press conference in New York City. He emphasized that these individuals were already known terrorists, not merely those on the terrorist watch list.
Mullin highlighted ongoing concerns regarding undetected individuals who may pose threats, noting the importance of cooperation among federal, state, and local law enforcement. He mentioned that the federal government is aware of 18,000 individuals on the FBI terrorism watch list who were brought into the country during the Biden administration's withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.
Former National Counterterrorism Center Director Joseph Kent previously indicated that there were alarming conclusions regarding individuals allowed into the U.S. four years ago. Historically, encounters with individuals on the FBI's terrorist watch list have been in the hundreds annually, primarily at vehicle crossing ports along the U.S.-Canada border.