WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) sent a letter to President Joe Biden expressing deep concern about the rise in terrorists crossing the southern border and asking for plans to bolster border and internal security measures.

In addition to Risch and Crapo, Senators Todd Young (R-Ind.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), and Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) joined the letter.

“Our Southern border is a matter of deep national concern and insecurity. With rising violence and economic crises around the world pushing many people towards our borders, the record levels of illegal crossings and the spike in Border Patrol apprehensions of individuals matching the U.S. terror watchlist are alarming,” the senators wrote. “In fiscal year 2023 alone, 169 migrants with positive terrorism watchlist matches were apprehended along our Southern border. This represents a tenfold increase from the figures reported in fiscal year 2021. Although the exact affiliations and identities of these individuals remain classified, the marked increase is alarming. Even if these apprehensions represent a minority, the potential devastation from a single individual with malign intentions cannot be overstated.”

The full letter is available here.

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