Name: Border Patrol says encounters with terrorists at borders are uncommon, despite claims
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Border Patrol says encounters with terrorists at borders are uncommon, despite claims

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ShareEncounters with terrorists at U.S. borders are "very uncommon," according to a statement released Wednesday from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)."Our border security efforts are layered and include multiple levels of rigorous screening that allow us to detect and prevent people who post national security or public safety risks from entering the United States," CBP said in the statement provided to Newsweek.The agency's statement comes following claims made by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) on Fox News in which he said: "It's not just people from Mexico or Honduras or El Salvador. They're now finding people from Yemen, Iran, Turke, people on the terrorist watch list they are catching."Democrats immediately questioned McCarthy's claims, reported. Representative Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) described McCarthy's words in a tweet as "weird." Given his role as chairman of the House Subcommittee on Intelligence and Special Operations, Gallego said it was odd that he hadn't heard anything of terrorists arriving at the border."Gonna ask for a briefing," Gallego said. "Pretty sure he is either wrong or lying."During a visit to El Paso, Texas on Monday, McCarthy said border agents he had met warned him of suspected terrorists attempting to cross into the U.S., the Post reported."We asked them what countries are people coming from," McCarthy told reporters. "Yemen, Iran, Sri Lanka, that's what's coming across. They even talked about Chinese, as well."ober 1 matched names on the 's Terrorist Screening Database. One of the people was from Serbia and three of them were from Yemen.CBP also announced on February 3 that it apprehended 11 Iranian citizens at the border near Yuma, Arizona. It also confirmed it has arrested 14 people from Iran in 2021 so far.While its statement did not address these specific individuals, the agency did confirm that the (DHS) "works with" and "shares" information and intelligence with international partners to prevent listed terrorists from entering the U.S."CBP adjudicates individuals encountered at and between our ports of entry against several classified and unclassified databases to determine if they post a threat to national security, consistent with the law," CBP said.The DHS has stopped more than 3,700 people on the FBI's watchlist from entering the U.S. during 2017, Axios reported.McCarthy was who suggested the U.S.-Mexico border was being exploited by terrorists due to President 's immigration policies. The Biden administration has repealed former President 's l and "zero tolerance policy," But theDespite the growing pressure on the Biden administration to address the overflow at the border, CBP upheld its ability to effectively locate and keep out terrorists."While encounters of known and suspected terrorists at our borders are very uncommon," CBP said, "they underscore the importance of the critical work our agents carry out on a daily basis to vet all individuals encountered at our borders."Updated 10:33 AM ET, to include a statement from CBP., orVSCHOOSE YOUR SUBSCRIPTIONPREMIUMDIGITAL+ Ad FreeNEWSLETTERBEST OF NEWSWEEK VIA EMAILJoin half a million readers enjoying Newsweek's free newsletters

ShareEncounters with terrorists at U.S. borders are "very uncommon," according to a statement released Wednesday from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)."Our border security efforts are layered and include multiple levels of rigorous screening that allow us to detect and prevent people who post national security or public safety risks from entering the United States," CBP said in the statement provided to Newsweek.The agency's statement comes following claims made by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) on Fox News in which he said: "It's not just people from Mexico or Honduras...

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Nicole Fallert

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Border Patrol says encounters with terrorists at borders are uncommon, despite claims

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