Staff Reports
Federal agents appear to have found a new favorite hobby: arresting individuals on the terrorist watchlist at the northern U.S. border. One recent apprehension involved a Jordanian national with a history of terrorism ties, who managed to sneak into the United States from Canada. While the border is often touted as a friendly place, it seems there are some unwelcome guests crashing the party.
Border Patrol agents from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Blaine Sector located Mohammad Hasan Abdellatif Albana close to Lynden, Washington, a stone’s throw from the Canadian border. This isn’t exactly a bump in the road; it’s more like a hole in the fence. The border crossing at Lynden is only 22 miles from Aldergrove, British Columbia, and the port has a less-than-stellar history, including the murder of a U.S. Customs inspector back in 1979 by members of a domestic terrorist group. It seems security at the north is all too reminiscent of a Swiss cheese diet—full of holes.
Albana’s illegal passage into the U.S. would have earned him the title of a “gotaway” had he not gotten caught. Gotaways are those clever individuals who evade capture to appear on the latest “hard-to-find” list. Once caught, he was matched against the terrorist watchlist and swiftly processed for removal. It turns out, crossing the border without permission while being on a watchlist is a one-way ticket back to Jordan, leaving behind a bemused audience wondering how many other ‘gotaways’ might be bobbing along undetected.
This year alone has seen a remarkable uptick in apprehensions of individuals identified or suspected as terrorists, with a record 44 apprehended at the northern border—quite the contrast to the mere eight nabbed at the southern border during the same time. According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the northern border has officially become the go-to location for known or suspected terrorists, striking a serious blow to the narrative that casts the border as impenetrable. The Biden administration proudly boasts of historic numbers, revealing that 1,903 suspicious characters were apprehended during its tenure—mostly at the northern border.
Interestingly, reports from Congress and media outlets tend to gloss over the northern border’s issues, preferring to focus on the more sensational happenings down south. While the numbers from the southwest border are certainly noteworthy, it’s the northern border that’s quietly racking up the scores.
https://t.co/z55l8ChiaQ
Federal agents are arresting a record number of individuals on the terrorist watchlist at the northern U.S. border, including a Jordanian national with ties to terrorism who recently was removed from the country after illegally entering from Canada.— WetGeek (@WetGeek) December 2, 2024
With a combined total of 1,209 known or suspected terrorists apprehended at the U.S.-Canada ports of entry along with another seven caught between those entry points, the data showcases a pattern that’s hard to ignore. In contrast, only 989 individuals were apprehended at the southern border. Avoiding the glaring vulnerabilities remains a delusion as long as agents are spread thin and patrolling an impressive 5,525 miles of the longest international border—with far fewer resources than necessary.
When discussing border security, it’s essential to consider the facts. A former Trump administration border czar underlined that the danger posed by the northern border is more than just theoretical speculation—it’s backed by solid statistics. With open spaces where patrolling is nonexistent, it creates a large inviting area for those with less-than-noble intentions. As the debate rages on about how to secure the border, it becomes clear that standing still while enemies slip through the cracks isn’t a strategy that inspires confidence.
