Florida AG questions DHS over dozens of released migrants from terror watchlist
Florida’s attorney general is demanding answers after a House report revealed that nearly 100 illegal immigrants on the terror watchlist have been released into the United States under the Biden-Harris administration.
“Despite this obvious danger, the Biden-Harris administration has refused to communicate with the states about these aliens. This is absolutely unacceptable, and we demand to know who is in Florida so that law enforcement here can do the job that Biden and Harris have refused to do,” Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody told Fox News Digital.
The comments come as Moody sent a scathing letter to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas demanding answers on a U.S. House Judiciary Committee report released last week that revealed dozens of migrants on the terror watchlist from over 30 countries had been released into the United States.
“Following the horrific attacks on our country on September 11, 2001, the 9/11 Commission made a number of findings and recommendations regarding how to prevent such a tragedy from ever happening again,” Moody wrote in the letter, a copy of which was obtained by Fox News Digital. “Among those findings are (1) that ‘immigration . . . was not seen as a national security matter’ and (2) that law enforcement and national security agencies had a ‘weak system for processing and using’ available information and a ‘resistance to sharing information.’ It appears that, under your failed leadership, DHS has not taken those lessons to heart.”
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas testifies before the House Judiciary Committee, on Capitol Hill, April 28, 2022. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Along with the letter, Moody demanded information on several processes, procedures or policies, including how DHS determines if a migrant is on the terror watchlist, how it consults with other agencies and foreign governments on migrant terror threats, and how the agency locates or arrests a migrant on the watchlist who is not in DHS custody.
The House report at issue details the potential threat, noting that “more than 250 illegal aliens on the terrorist watchlist were encountered by Border Patrol at the southwest border between fiscal years 2021 and 2023.”
“DHS has released into American communities at least 99, with at least 34 others in DHS custody but not yet removed from the United States,” the report by Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee, a copy of which was first obtained by Fox News Digital, reads.
The report notes that the number does not include any potential terrorists who could have made their way into the country along with “nearly 2 million ‘gotaways’” that have eluded Border Patrol “since the beginning of the Biden-Harris Administration.”
The report also found that Border Patrol agents encountered migrants on the terror watchlist from 36 countries, including terror hot spots such as Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon, Pakistan, Somalia, Syria, Tajikistan and Yemen.
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody speaking in Tampa, Oct. 18, 2022. (AP Photo/Chris OMeara, file)
“This new report at a minimum raises serious questions regarding DHS’s vetting and information sharing policies,” Moody wrote. “For example, of the at least 99 aliens on the terrorist watchlist whom DHS released, at least 27 were ordered released by an immigration judge. If immigration judges are ordering these aliens released, it is likely because DHS does not have an adequate process to inform these judges that the aliens appearing before them are on a terrorist watchlist.”
The Florida attorney general also slammed Mayorkas for not providing adequate information on the released migrants to the state, arguing that it is likely that at least some of the migrants have made their way to Florida.
A group of migrants attempts to enter the U.S. illegally by rushing a border wall on March 21, 2024, knocking down Texas National Guardsmen before they are halted. (James Breeden for New York Post / Mega)
“I have consulted with law enforcement in Florida, and it is my understanding that DHS has provided the State no information or intelligence regarding terrorists who may be present in our State,” the letter reads. “As you know, Florida is a uniquely attractive destination for illegal immigrants. It is thus likely that many of the 99 terrorists DHS released have traveled to our State. Florida is also a common destination for conferences, conventions, and other widely attended events, making our State an attractive target for terrorists.”
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Neither the White House nor DHS immediately responded to Fox News Digital requests for comment.
Fox News Digital’s Adam Shaw contributed to this report.
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