ICE Arrests African Illegal Immigrant, Wanted in Senegal for Terrorist Offenses, Who Was Released Into US

Federal immigration authorities arrested an illegal immigrant wanted in Senegal for alleged terrorist activities, two weeks after he was released into the country after being encountered by agents at the southern border.

In a press release, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) says a 29-year-old “unlawfully present Mauritanian or Senegalese citizen” was arrested on Oct. 17.

ICE says he is wanted by Senegalese authorities for criminal conspiracy in relation to a terrorist organization; destruction, degradation and damages in relation to a terrorist organization; direct provocation of an armed crowd and acts (or preparatory acts) aimed at compromising public safety.

But he had first been encountered on Oct. 3 — two weeks earlier — by Border Patrol agents at the southern border near Lukeville, Arizona. He was then processed by officials and served with a Notice to Appear in New York City and released on his own recognizance.

A week after he was released, on Oct. 10, ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations agents notified Enforcement and Removal Operations in New York City that he was wanted on terrorism charges in Senegal.

ICE’s New York City Fugitive Operations team then arrested him “without incident” outside of the Federal Plaza immigration court in New York City. He is now in custody on deportation proceedings.

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But the release of a foreign national who is wanted on terror charges in another country is likely to fuel ongoing concerns about terrorists or terror suspects getting into the U.S. at the besieged southern border — particularly in the wake of the Hamas terror attack against Israel. Border Patrol agents have expressed concerns to Fox News before that, unless someone has committed a crime in the U.S., agents may not know a migrant’s criminal history as many countries do not share their databases with the U.S.

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