The illegal crossings at the U.S. border are on the verge of catastrophe as predominantly Latino migrants brave the perilous routes in hopes of a better life in America. This continuous influx presents a significant challenge to officials. The Texas Border terrorist threat is real, but the wheels keep turning.
Texas Border Terrorist Threat
Meanwhile, an extra high-level threat surfaced at the southern border, where an increasing number of outcasts with verified ties to terrorist groups have been caught attempting to enter the U.S. illegally.
This is the stark reality: aliens linked to terrorist organizations are attempting to infiltrate America.
Does it surprise you?
A dose of reality hit home recently when a Lebanese national identified as Basel Bassel Ebbadi, age 22, was apprehended while attempting to cross the U.S.-Mexico border on March 9. Ebbadi confessed to authorities that he had affiliations with Hezbollah, an Islamic terrorist organization.
Ebbadi was intercepted near El Paso, Texas, after passing through Mexico while seeking entry into the United States. In his interaction with U.S. Border Patrol agents, Ebbadi acknowledged his association with Hezbollah, a significant detail that raised concerns about security and immigration issues at the border.
According to Border Patrol documents obtained by The New York Post, while Ebbadi was in custody, agents asked him what he was doing in the country. Ebbadi informed agents that he was “going to try to make a bomb.”
Ebbadi was promptly isolated and transferred to the Hardened Facility within the El Paso Sector. There, he underwent questioning by the Tactical Terrorism Response Team due to alleged “terroristic threats to personnel.”
According to official documents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Ebbadi stated during the interview that he intended to escape Lebanon and dissociate from Hezbollah out of a desire to abstain from causing harm to others.
Federal Charge
Federal agents charged Ebbadi under 8 USC 1325(a): being an alien knowingly entering and attempting to enter the United States at a time and place other than as designated by immigration officers.
During the investigation, Ebbadi disclosed to investigators that he had undergone a seven-year training period with the terrorist group, during which he also spent four years as a dedicated member tasked with safeguarding weapons sites. His training primarily revolved around the concept of “jihad” and targeted the elimination of people who did not adhere to the Muslim faith.
Upon his arrival in the country, Ebbadi expressed his intention to initially travel to New York and explore various regions across the country.
The New York Post reported that Ebbadi was marked for deportation, although no evidence from investigators shows which country he would be deported to.
Although Ebbadi would later tell authorities he was joking about making bombs to kill non-Muslim people, his new admission doesn’t take him off the hook nor remove his profile from the terror watch list.
Terror Watch List
A recent Texas Scorecard article reported that Carlos Obed Yepez-Bedoya, a 40-year-old Colombian national, was detained by Texas Department of Public Safety agents on February 21 as he attempted to cross the U.S.-Mexico border at Eagle Pass. U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials confirmed that Yepez-Bedoya is on the FBI’s terror watchlist. However, the authorities have not disclosed the reasons for his inclusion on the list.
In Fiscal Year 2023, the number of encounters at the Southwest border hit a record high of 2.4 million migrants. So far, this year, 2024, border patrol agents have dealt with over 900,000 illegal aliens.
172 Terror-Watch Foreigners Stopped At US Border
In addition to the high number of encounters, terror-watchlisted aliens have become more aggressive when crossing the border.
Also last year, 172 terror-watch foreigners were encountered at the border. Now in just four months – between October 2023 and January 2024 – there have been 59 interceptions of foreigners listed on the U.S. government’s terror watch list.
Texas authorities have desperately tried to stem the excessive flow of migrants crossing at the Texas-Mexico border crossings by passing (SB State Bill #4) a law that establishes a criminal offense for unauthorized entry into Texas.
SB-4 empowers Texas law enforcement to apprehend and bring legal action against foreigners who unlawfully cross the border within the state.
As authorities remain diligent to keep the border safe from extremist groups, the U.S. Supreme Court applied the brakes to SB #4. The law remains in limbo as of this writing.
As the federal government and the courts prevent Texas from doing the Federal Government’s job, the Texas border terrorist threat grows.
Senior NewsBlaze Reporter Clarence Walker can be reached at [email protected]
