Intelligence report shocks Washington: 18,000 terror suspects reportedly entered the country during Biden's administration

A report presented to Congress by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) raised alarms about the consequences of the immigration policy implemented during the administration of former President Joe Biden. According to official testimony, about 18,000 people classified as "known or suspected terrorists" have entered the country in the last four years, mainly through the southern border.

The information was exposed by the director of the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC), Joe Kent, during an appearance before lawmakers late last week. Kent argued that open border policies implemented between 2021 and 2025 allowed for the release and settlement in U.S. communities of individuals who, under normal procedures, would not have been admitted into the country.

"The main threat we face right now is that we don't know for sure who entered our country during the last four years," Kent told Congress. "What we have identified is alarming and I want to share it with you today," he added, as recorded in the report submitted by the ODNI.

According to the official, many of these people would have links to jihadist organizations such as ISIS and Al Qaeda. Kent affirmed that the Biden administration not only allowed their entry, but in some cases facilitated the immigration processes that allowed them to settle on U.S. soil.

The NCTC director dedicated a specific section to the Operation "Welcome Allies," the White House-driven program to relocate tens of thousands of Afghan nationals to the United States following the military withdrawal of Afghanistan. According to his testimony, some of that income came without full investigations or face-to-face interviews.

"Despite what has been publicly reported, these individuals were not properly vetted for entry into the United States," Kent stated. He further indicated that approximately 2,000 individuals have been identified, within a group of 88,000 relocated Afghans, with suspected ties to terrorist organizations. To this group would be added another 16,000 people linked to extremist organizations who, according to the report, entered the country under different immigration routes during the same period.

Kent assured that the NCTC works in coordination with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to locate and monitor these individuals.

The report also refers to specific cases that have generated concern among security agencies. Among them, the attack that occurred in Washington DC, in which an Afghan national opened fire on two National Guard members, causing the death of one of the victims. According to authorities, the assailant had been admitted to the country as part of Operation "Welcome Allies." Another case cited corresponds to the arrest of an Afghan citizen in Oklahoma, accused of planning a terrorist attack during an election day, who had also entered the United States under the same program.

So far, the office of former President Joe Biden has not issued an official response to the statements contained in the ODNI report. The document, however, has reignited the debate in Congress on national security, immigration verification mechanisms and the scope of humanitarian admission policies implemented in recent years.