Biden-Harris Admin Refuses to Reveal Nationalities of Terror Watchlist Migrants Nabbed at Border

The Biden-Harris administration has again blocked a request by Fox News to reveal the nationalities of people on the FBI terror watchlist arrested at the border by Border Patrol, citing the privacy interests of those who were encountered and arguing that it could expose law enforcement “vulnerabilities” and “tip off” terrorists.

“[Customs and Border Protection (CBP)] is committed to protecting the identity of individuals and avoiding divulging information about any individual by either direct or indirect means,” the agency said in a letter to Fox. “Releasing data for a particular nationality, or nationalities, that reflect a small number of individuals could lead to identification, especially by organizations familiar with the individuals.”

Fox’s Bill Melugin filed a Freedom of Information Act request in October 2023 seeking the nationalities of suspects on the FBI terror watchlist arrested at the southern border entering between ports of entry by Border Patrol.

The request sought only the nationalities of those encountered, not the names or dates of birth or any other identifying information.

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The agency also claimed that the release of the information would reveal investigative techniques used in processing and apprehending terrorists.

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There were 172 encounters of nationals on the terror watchlist at the border between ports of entry last fiscal year and more than 560 at the ports of entry.

So far this fiscal year, there have been 98 encounters between the ports of entry and 324 at the ports.

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