Nearly 100 Syrian and 50 Iranian nationals have been apprehended by the Border Patrol since the beginning of October, raising concerns due to the ongoing turmoil in the Middle East.
The migrants were apprehended in multiple sectors across the southwest border, including near Eagle Pass, Texas.
The arrivals of these Special Interest Migrants are occurring without advance intelligence warning, making it difficult to determine who is in the groups and why they are coming. (Trending: Joe Biden Historic Take Down of Guns)
JUST IN: 4 Iranian nationals apprehended at the southern border, deemed SPECIAL INTEREST aliens..
IS JOE BIDEN’S BORDER CRISIS DESTROYING AMERICA? pic.twitter.com/Mf06Kpb4oR
— Chuck Callesto (@ChuckCallesto) October 17, 2023
“We are receiving no advance warning of the arrival of Special Interest Migrants from the region with any specificity,” a Border Patrol source said.
“We are left to sort through the grab-bag of migrants in small and large groups to figure out who is in the group and why they are coming.”
According to a 2019 DHS fact sheet, the term “Significant Interest Alien” is defined as follows: “Generally, an SIA is a non-U.S. person who, based on an analysis of travel patterns, potentially poses a national security risk to the United States or its interests.”
“Often, such individuals or groups employ travel patterns known or evaluated to possibly have a nexus to terrorism. DHS analysis includes an examination of travel patterns, points of origin, and/or travel segments that are tied to current assessments of national and international threat environments,” the fact sheet said.
The migrants are mostly single adult males, and both Syria and Iran are subject to travel warnings by the U.S. State Department. (Trending: Donald Trump Is A ‘Cockroach’ That Just Won’t Go Away)
Despite the lack of specific threats, these migrants are generally released into the U.S. to pursue asylum claims.
In Fiscal Year 2023, more than 61,000 Special Interest Migrants were encountered by the Border Patrol, representing a significant increase compared to the previous year.
