By Steve Neavling
Homeland Security’s internal watchdog criticized Border Patrol for releasing an undocumented migrant before ensuring he had known ties to terrorism and implicated the FBI for sending an email to the wrong account.
In a blistering report, the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General raised questions about the system used to determine whether migrants are on the Terrorist Screening Dataset, an FBI system that tracks known or suspected terrorists.
The OIG called current procedures “ineffective.”
In April 2022, Border Patrol agents in Arizona released a migrant and his family before federal law enforcement officials were able to determine if he was on the bureau’s terrorist watchlist. At the time of his release, the Terrorist Screening Center determined that the migrant was an inconclusive match.
When the FBI’s National Targeting Center asked Border Patrol to arrange an interview between the migrant and the FBI, the center emailed the wrong Border Patrol account. As a result, Border Patrol was unaware of the interview request.
Federal officials determined the migrant was on the watchlist after he had been released and had checked in to a flight to Florida.
OIG warned that CBP is putting Americans at risk.
“If [CBP’s] ineffective practices for resolving inconclusive Terrorist Watchlist matches continue, the component risks releasing individuals into the United States who potentially threaten national security and public safety,” the report states.
