Washington – Congressman Darrell Issa (CA-48) today sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas reminding him he has failed to provide – as he agreed to do under oath – information on individuals on the terrorist watchlist encountered at the southern border by U.S. officials.
This letter is a follow-up on Rep. Issa’s initial request for this information during a House Judiciary Committee hearing on July 26, 2023, since which Mayorkas and the DHS have neglected to follow through on.
In the hearing, Rep. Issa stated, “140 people on the terrorist watchlist so far this year. For the record, would you please give us the status of each of those individuals so we know what you did with people who were on a terrorist watchlist, who were apprehended – many got away – but were apprehended, where they are today, so that Congress can know.”
“Congressman, I would be pleased to provide you with that information, with respect to the individuals encountered at the southwest border,” Mayorkas pledged in response.
A full three months later, Mayorkas has failed to provide the information or reply in any way on this matter.
In the letter, Rep. Issa states:
As you sat before the Judiciary Committee during that July hearing, several members vocalized serious concern and raised significant questions regarding the Biden Administration’s willful failure to enforce the law at the border. On your watch, officials have recorded more than six million illegal border encounters, including 169 attempted entrants by aliens recorded on the terrorist watch list – the largest number ever recorded. And the problem is only growing worse: In the last week, the San Diego border sector reportedly issued guidance to watch for Hamas and Hezbollah fighters attempting to enter via the porous southern border.
Fundamentally, Americans have a right to understand how, why, and when a suspected terrorist entered our country. It is fair to assume that if NO terror suspects were permitted to enter or remain in this country, you would have emphatically stated this for the nation to understand.
The full letter can be found here
Darrell Issa is the Representative of California’s 48th Congressional District. The District encompasses the central and eastern parts of San Diego County and a portion of Riverside County, including the communities of Fallbrook, Valley Center, Ramona, Escondido, Santee, Lakeside, Poway, Temecula, Murrieta, and the mountain and desert areas of the San Diego-Imperial County line. Issa served as the Chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform from 2011-2015.
