The United States government announced this week that a series of Russian nationals were arrested after illegally entering the country and being involved in a potential terrorist plot. The arrests came amid increasing concern over the southern border and flow of migrants into the country.
The six men were arrested following their illegal entry into the country. The Russian nationals were originally from the former Soviet Republic of Tajikistan, which borders Afghanistan. The men were arrested in Los Angeles, New York and Philadelphia.
Federal law enforcement officials announced that the men were under surveillance for several months. At least one of the men was caught speaking about bombs over the phone.
BREAKING:
All 8 Tajiks arrested today on suspicion of links to ISIS entered into the U.S. illegally through the southern border.
They received "full vetting" by the authorities and were released into the US.
Later, one of them was caught talking about bombs on the phone. pic.twitter.com/TE7z6TJG47
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) June 11, 2024
“Remember the Boston Marathon? I’m afraid something like that might happen again or worse,” allegedly said one of the men, referencing the 2013 bombing of the Boston Marathon.
The man who allegedly spoke about bombs was apprehended at the border but released and was given a court date of 2025.
According to the Department of Homeland Security and FBI, the men were arrested by members of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“The FBI and DHS will continue working around the clock with our partners to identify, investigate and disrupt potential threats to national security,” said the two agencies.
Since President Joe Biden took office in 2021 an estimated seven million illegal immigrants allegedly entered the country. This includes more than three million attempted entries last year, which set a new historic record. Furthermore, more than 300,000 migrants attempted to enter the country last year, which set a new monthly record.
Earlier this month Biden announced a series of border restrictions, which many Republicans criticized as being too little, too late. The president’s order would restrict the border after a threshold was met.
However, many Republicans cite the significantly lower crossing numbers under former President Donald Trump. They also cite the Biden administration’s ending of Trump’s Title 42 asylum program as a significant cause of the increased crossings.
