U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents have arrested at least two Yemeni illegal aliens near Calexico, California who appeared on both the FBI’s Terrorism Watch List and No-Fly list.
Agents arrested the first illegal alien, a 33-year-old male, on January 29 in the middle of the night. In addition to discovering that the migrant was on both watch lists, border patrol also “found a cellular phone sim card hidden underneath the insole of his shoe” before transferring him into Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody.
Border patrol apprehended the second alien, a 26 year-old-male, in the same area at the end of March before discovering that he was on both watch lists as well. The second man is in “federal custody pending removal.”
“Part of the Border Patrol’s mission states we will protect the country from terrorists,” said Chief Patrol Agent Gregory K. Bovino. “Today, like every other day, our agents did that. These apprehensions at our border illustrates the importance of our mission and how we can never stop being vigilant in our everyday mission to protect this great country.”
The announcement comes less than a month after Axios reported that border patrol arrested at least four illegal aliens at the U.S.-Mexico border matching names listed in the FBI’s Terrorist Screening Database since Oct. 1 of last year. Shortly before the report, corporate media outlets and Democrats clamored to deny and fact-check Republicans’ claims that Border Patrol arrested people from the terrorist watch list originating from countries such as “Yemen, Iran, Turkey.”
It also follows news that Border Patrol agents are letting nearly 1,000 illegal aliens cross the border every day unpursued because they are too focused on tending to the overwhelming number of unaccompanied minors and migrant families flooding holding centers. In March alone, approximately 160,000 illegal aliens, including more than 18,000 unaccompanied teens and kids, came under the care of border patrol agents manning overcrowded facilities.