Republicans are raising the alarm over a possible terror threat to the country after Border Patrol agents caught illegal border crossers carrying explosives.
Republican senators have sounded the alarm on the Biden administration’s border policies after Border Patrol agents caught illegal border crossers who were carrying explosive devices that Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) said were “tailor-made for terrorism.”
Mr. Barrasso, who is the Senate Republican Conference Chairman, made the startling revelation at a press conference on Oct. 31, alongside Sens. John Cornyn (R-Texas), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), and Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), following their recent visit to the U.S.–Mexico border.
The senators said that over 8 million illegal border crossings have taken place under President Joe Biden’s watch, while asserting that explosive devices found on some border crossers in recent days represent an elevated risk of terror acts against the homeland.
“We have just returned from our southern border, and it is painfully clear that with Joe Biden’s open border policy, our country is really at an increased threat for a terrorist attack,” Mr. Barrasso said at Tuesday’s press conference.Several days ago, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents seized illegal immigrants carrying with them improvised explosive devices that Mr. Barrasso said were the “size of cannonballs” and were “tailor-made for terrorism.”
Speaking at the press conference, Mr. Ricketts said that, due to what he said were President Biden’s “failed” border policies, there were 18 people on the terrorist watchlist caught entering the United States illegally in September—and 172 last year.
“To put this in perspective, in years past, that number was single digits,” Mr. Ricketts said.
“We’re opening ourselves up for a terrorist attack.”
Terror Threat Rises
An elevated terror threat against the United States and its citizens has also been flagged by FBI Director Christopher Wray, who issued a stark warning while testifying before Congress on Oct. 31.
Mr. Wray told lawmakers that, since the Oct. 7 attack by the Hamas terror group against Israeli civilians and soldiers, there have been multiple foreign terrorist organizations calling for attacks against Americans and the West, significantly raising the threat posed by what he described as “homegrown extremists.”
