House Republicans are demanding answers after an FBI counterterrorism sting in three major US cities reportedly led to the arrests of eight Tajik nationals who were found to be planning a terrorist bombing. The House Homeland Security Committee and several subcommittee leaders are requesting information from Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on whether border agencies had any knowledge of the terrorists when they first crossed the US Southwest Border and how they were handled after their release until the FBI alerted them about the plot. Some of the Tajik Eight had crossed the border more than a year prior to their arrests in early June 2024 by ICE, and the FBI sting operation had been ongoing for a significant amount of time.
The House Republicans’ letter references an NBC News report that ICE had arrested the Tajik Eight on immigration-related charges only after being alerted by the FBI about their connection to the terrorist group ISIS. The lawmakers are concerned about the ability of overwhelmed border agency personnel to properly screen for terrorists and other criminals. They cite previous reports listing accidental releases of terror suspects as counterterrorism intelligence failures and are calling for congressional intervention and a government investigation into these security lapses.
The committee, responsible for oversight of all homeland security-related government activities, is seeking the immigration files of all eight suspects, communications between the FBI and ICE regarding their handling after crossing the border, and any derogatory information in the terrorist watch list database about them. They have requested a briefing by June 27 and are asking for the documents and records at a later date. However, Mayorkas has a history of ignoring such requests, as seen from his response to a previous committee request about accidental releases of suspected terrorists due to errors within ICE’s internal database.
One notable security failure involved the accidental release of Afghan national Mohammad Kharwin, who was on the FBI’s terrorism watch list for his associations with the designated terrorist organization Hezb-e-Islami. Despite this, Border Patrol released him into ICE custody through the Alternatives to Detention (ATD) program after his illegal border crossing from Mexico into California. Kharwin remained free for almost a year until his arrest in San Antonio. The committee is highlighting the danger posed by the Department’s prioritization of catch, process, and release, emphasizing the security vulnerabilities created by the influx of illegal aliens at the border that the Biden Administration and the Department continue to ignore.
Todd Bensman, a senior national security fellow at the Center for Immigration Studies and author of “America’s Covert Border War” (2021), has been vocal about the security failures at the US Southwest Border and the potential risks posed by not properly screening immigrants for ties to terrorism. The House Republicans’ demand for answers from Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas regarding the Tajik Eight and previous security lapses is part of a broader effort to hold the administration accountable for its handling of border security and immigration policies. As concerns about terrorism threats at the border persist, lawmakers and security experts are pushing for increased scrutiny and oversight to prevent potential attacks on US soil.
