Border agents say they ‘probably let terrorists in’ as Palestinians with ties to terror apprehended

The individuals were among a group of dozens of illegal aliens who entered the country through the San Diego sector. Border Patrol sources told the New York Post that the agency is overwhelmed - particularly in the San Diego sector - and agents do not have the tools to properly assess who is illegally entering the country from across the world.

One of the apprehended Palestinian terror suspects had a "salacious photo" on their phone which included a masked man holding an automatic rifle, the agent said. It's unclear which Palestinian terror group the three are suspected of belonging to.

"I wanted to get into Border Patrol and protect from terrorists," a frustrated agent who wished to remain anonymous told the Post. "And it's like, well, I probably let terrorists into the country." Also apprehended at the San Diego sector was an illegal Turkish migrant with ties to terror groups, according to the agent.

Photo obtained by the New York Post.

The illegal entries into the country come within a few weeks after the Biden administration implemented new regulations that limit their capacity to apply for asylum; yet, the executive order contains significant flaws that permit the migrants to be let back into the nation.

Border agents use US terror watchlists to help determine who could be a possible terror threat. Still, their resources are limited and they do not have access to terror or criminal databases from other countries.

"Knowing who these guys are, we have, like, no access to anything international," an anonymous agent said. "We really don't know."

The federal law enforcement agency issued a memo after the Oct. 7 massacre in Israel that urged BP agents to be on the lookout for hostile actors that may try to illegally enter the US from the Middle East.

"San Diego Field Office Intelligence Unit assesses that individuals inspired by, or reacting to the current Israel-Hamas conflict may attempt to travel to or from the area of hostilities in the Middle East via circuitous transit across the Southwest border, the memo said. "Foreign fighters motivated by ideology or mercenary soldiers of fortune may attempt to obfuscate travel to or from the US to or from countries in the Middle East through Mexico."

The threat assessment included listings of patches worn by Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and the Lebanese terror group Hezbollah.

Border agents have apprehended an unprecedented number of illegal immigrants whose names are listed on the terror watchlist, as border crossings have increased significantly during the Biden administration. Between fiscal years 2017 and 2020, 26 people on the terror watchlist were apprehended at the southern border, according to CBP data. This number rapidly increased to 98 in fiscal year 2022, and it increased to 169 the following year.