The Border Patrol stopped a dozen people whose names are in the FBI’s Terrorist Screening Database (TSDB) in August, bringing the total for the fiscal year to three times the previous five fiscal years combined — as agents face a historic increase in immigrants at the border. New data released by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) this week shows there were 12 people encountered by the Border Patrol between ports of entry at the border whose names matched the TSDB – which contains information on the identity of those known or “reasonably suspected” of involvement in terrorist activities. The August additions bring the total for FY 22 to 78 so far with two months left in the fiscal year. This is triple the previous five years combined. There were two arrests in 2017, six in 2018, zero in 2019, three in 2017 and 15 in 21. MIGRANT ENCOUNTERS AT SOUTHERN BORDER RISE TO OVER 200,000 IN AUGUST AS NUMBERS FROM VENEZUELA, CUBA RECYCLE While this is only a small percentage of the hundreds of thousands of immigrants who hit the border each month, and shows those who have been successfully apprehended by Border Patrol agents, it also does not include those who may have been among the more than 500,000 escapees – illegal immigrants who passed by Border Patrol agents – this fiscal year.
A Border Patrol agent stands on a cliff looking for migrants near Sasabe, Arizona, January 23, 2022. (Salwan Georges/The Washington Post via Getty Images) Republicans have pointed to the numbers to show the potential threat to national security at the border and the need for more border security. Republicans on the House Homeland Security Committee had pushed for the numbers to be released again before the Biden administration finally began posting them on the CBP website in May. Meanwhile, there have been 342 encounters of known or suspected terrorists so far by CBP agents at ports of entry along the northern and southern borders. Of these, 63 were on the southern border and 279 on the northern border. This is the highest number since FY’19, when there were 538 such meetings. The latest numbers come as CBP announced there were 203,598 immigration encounters at the southern border in August overall, an increase from the 199,976 encountered in July and down from the 209,840 encountered in August of last year. ARRESTS OF IMMIGRANTS ON TERROR WATCH LIST IMMIGRANT ARRESTS AT SOUTHERN BORDER INCREASE UNDER BIDEN Of the 203,598, officials said 157,921 were unique immigrant encounters, with the rest attributed to those who had multiple encounters with officials and were deported or deported. According to CBP data, encounters with immigrants from Mexico and Central America fell for the third straight month, accounting for just 36% of unique encounters, while 55,333 unique encounters were from the totalitarian regimes of Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua . A 175% increase over last year. “The failed communist regimes in Venezuela, Nicaragua and Cuba are driving a new wave of immigration across the Western Hemisphere, including a recent increase in encounters at the U.S. Southwest border,” CBP Commissioner Chris Magnus said in a statement Monday. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP There were more than 2.1 million immigration encounters at the border this fiscal year. Republicans have blamed the Biden administration for lifting Trump-era border measures and increasing releases at home. The Biden administration has repeatedly claimed the border is “secure” and has said it is working to fix legal asylum pathways it says were destroyed under the previous administration. Last month, FBI Director Christopher Wray said there were “significant security issues” related to the southern border. “I have been to ports of entry, including not too long ago, with [Customs and Border Protection] the officers guide me so I could really see first hand what they have to deal with and all I can say is boy they have a big challenge and I admire their grit and determination to get the job done but it’s scary ». Adam Shaw is a political reporter for Fox News Digital, focusing on immigration. He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter: @AdamShawNY