We all know that the border patrol is very, very busy these days. Very, very, very busy. They're so busy that they are unable to perform the menial task of checking illegal immigrant names against the terror watch list database.
I thought that one of their basic tasks in protecting the border was to identify terrorists and arrest them or send them back to where they came from. Apparently, that's just too difficult. It gets very busy at the border—all that paperwork and then the rush to send the illegals on their way into the interior of the U.S.
So, it's not really border patrol's fault that they processed one Mohammad Kharwin, 48, an Afghan national, in March of last year, released him into the U.S. with a court date, and then discovered he was on the terrorist watch list.
Kharwin lived in the United States for more than a year free as a bird. As far as we know, Mr. Kharwin wasn't involved in planning or executing any terrorist attacks. This is a good thing. What he was up to is a story that remains to be told.
After Kharwin's status on the terrorist watch list became public, the Department of Homeland Security picked him up. I'd say something amusing about horses and closing the barn door, but there's nothing remotely amusing about this. How many other Kharwins on the terrorist watch list are in the United States right now who may not be so innocent?
In truth, there are tens of thousands of names on that terrorist watch list who have nothing to do with terrorism. But wouldn't it have been nice to know if Kharwin was dangerous or not before he was released into the U.S.?
Border agents suspected he was on the U.S. terrorist watchlist when he was apprehended because one piece of information matched a person on the list. But the agents lacked corroborating information, which officials declined to describe, that would confirm Kharwin was the person they suspected, U.S. officials said.
After it processed Kharwin and took his biometric data, Customs and Border Protection released him as it would any other migrant, without alerting Immigration and Customs Enforcement about possible terrorism ties, U.S. officials said.
The database indicated he is a member of Hezb-e-Islami, or HIG, an ultra-violent group of bandits and terrorists who fought Americans beginning in 2001 after receiving millions of dollars in CIA funds during the Soviet occupation. They are a political and paramilitary organization that the U.S. has designated a terrorist organization.
So, no worries, right?
Biden opens the border to terrorists, they get caught, THEN LET OUT OF JAIL. https://t.co/KkkpIVwaic
— john jackson (@pvtjokerus) April 11, 2024
They’re coming fellow citizens. In many cases, they’re already here. Be vigilant. It sounds trite but it’s true, “see something, say something.” Forewarned is forearmed. https://t.co/qXY7zomznw
— Buzz Patterson (@BuzzPatterson) April 11, 2024
Homeland Security assures us that they really, really didn't release Kharwin on purpose.
Really.
“At the time of the initial encounter, the information in the record could not have provided a conclusive match," the spokesperson said. "As soon as there was information to suggest that this individual was of concern, he was taken into custody by ICE. Law enforcement has been tracking the matter closely to protect against public safety risks.”
The "information" that revealed Kharwin's status as someone on the terrorist watch list appeared on Thursday in the media. For an entire year, DHS didn't try to confirm his status. It wasn't until the media got on to the story that they acted.
It's exactly like letting a member of al-Qaeda go free and roam around the country. They knew he was connected to a terror group. Couldn't they have held him in custody until they made sure?
They're really, really busy.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member