DHS threat report warns migrants with terrorism ties will continue to exploit border crisis

The Department of Homeland Security warned Wednesday that the threat environment in the US will “remain high” in the coming year, with migrants with “terrorism ties” contributing to the elevated level. “Over the next year, we expect some individuals with terrorism ties and some criminal actors will continue their efforts to exploit migration flows and the complex border security environment to enter the United States,” the department’s 2025 Homeland Threat Assessment warned.“Individuals with potential terrorism connections continue to attempt to enter the Homeland at both the US-Mexico and US-Canada borders and also through the immigration system,” it added. Through July of fiscal year 2024, 422 individuals on the federal Terrorist Screening Data Set were encountered by authorities trying to enter the US through the northern or southern border. The terror watchlist includes people who “may be directly engaged in or supporting terrorist activities as well as known associates of watchlisted individuals, such as family members.” US Customs and Border Protection encountered 283 watchlisted individuals at the US-Canada border and approximately 139 at the US‑Mexico border through July.“Migrant encounters at our border have declined over the last year, but migrants are still arriving in high numbers, complicating border and immigration security,” according to the threat assessment. The document also noted that there has been an uptick in migrant encounters on the northern border.  “Migrant encounters along the US-Canada border continue to increase, with over 181,000 migrant encounters in FY 2024 through August, compared to about 170,000 encounters at the same time in FY 2023,” the report stated. “In contrast to the US-Mexico border, many watchlist encounters along the US-Canada border occur at ports of entry, and the vast majority of these individuals have legal status in Canada,” it continued.Encounters with migrants from Easte...