ICE arrests illegal immigrant and suspected jihadist terrorist in Kansas with truck driver's license

Federal authorities arrested an Uzbek man wanted for alleged ties to a terrorist organization who had entered the United States illegally and operated as a commercial truck driver.

The case, involving Akhror Bozorov, 31, has sparked harsh criticism of the Biden administration, with border czar Tom Homan pointing out flaws in background checks.

Bozorov, originally from Uzbekistan, was arrested Nov. 9 in Kansas by agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) while working as a truck driver with a commercial license issued in Pennsylvania in January 2024.

According to the communication from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Uzbek authorities issued a warrant for his arrest in 2022, charging him with membership in a terrorist group, spreading extremist propaganda and promoting jihad online, including recruiting fighters.

He entered illegally during the Biden administration

The individual crossed the southern border illegally in February 2023 and was released into the interior of the country after his initial detention by Border Patrol. He subsequently obtained work authorization under the regulations in effect at the time, which allowed him to obtain a commercial driver's license.

“Not only was Akhror Bozorov—a wanted terrorist—RELEASED into the country by the Biden administration, but he was he was also given a commercial driver’s license by Governor Shapiro’s Pennsylvania. This should go without saying, but terrorist illegal aliens should not be operating 18-wheelers on America’s highways,” Deputy Secretary Tricia McLaughlin stated in an official DHS release.

During an appearance on Fox News' "America's Newsroom" program on Tuesday, Homan, currently in charge of border policy for the White House, directly accused the previous administration of misleading the public. "The Biden administration was lying to the American people, and they said everybody they released in the country was properly vetted. They weren't," he emphasized.

Homan insisted that federal law mandates the immediate detention of those who enter without proper documentation, a standard he said was not met in cases like this one.

"We don't know who all the terrorists are. That's why they should have detained him as required by federal law. Federal law says if you enter the country illegally without proper documentation, you shall be detained," the border czar added.

Bozorov's detention is part of a broader DHS crackdown on undocumented commercial drivers, prompted by recent fatal accidents attributed to undocumented truckers.

In that vein, on Oct. 21, a pileup on a Southern California freeway left three dead; the person involved, Jashanpreet Singh, 21, an undocumented driver, faces related charges.

Both the secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, and the secretary of Transportation, Sean Duffy, have lashed out against "sanctuary" states, which they accuse of making it easier for irregular immigrants to obtain business licenses.

For his part, Bozorov remains in ICE custody awaiting deportation.