FBI Director Christopher Wray warned during his appearance before the Senate Intelligence Committee that the agency has detected a human smuggling network with links to the Islamic State (ISIS) that is operating on the border. Wray assured that the FBI, along with others with other partners, is investing an "enormous amount of effort" in investigating what said organization is doing. In addition, Wray acknowledged that they have detected a "wide array of very dangerous threats that emanate from the border," especially from fentanyl traffickers, whom he also accuses of being behind "an awful lot of the violent crime in the United States."
FBI confirms danger with open border:
🚨violent gangs are entering the U.S. illegally
🚨smuggling networks have ties to ISIS
Watch full exchange 👇 pic.twitter.com/nyguDirKZU
— Senator Marco Rubio (@SenMarcoRubio) March 11, 2024
Great concern in the FBI about the possible entry of Islamic terrorists
Questioned by the vice president of the Commission, Republican Marco Rubio, Wray acknowledged his concern about this network of human traffickers with links to Islamic terrorists. However, he asked for caution as he was in an open hearing and limited himself to pointing out that his agents, along with other bodies, continue to investigate what the members of this network are looking for and what they are doing.
I want to be a little bit careful how far I can go in open session, but there is a particular network that, where some of the overseas facilitators of the smuggling network have ISIS ties that we're very concerned about and that we've been spending enormous amount of effort with our partners investigating. Exactly what that network is up to is something that's, again, the subject of our current investigation.
The FBI warns of "very dangerous threats thar emanate from the border"
It is not the only risk detected on the southern border. During his exchange with Rubio, the FBI director also warned that the agency is perceiving "a wide array of very dangerous threats that emanate from the border." Wray emphasized the trafficking of fentanyl, of which his agents alone have seized enough to kill 270 million people. In addition, he pointed out that these traffickers are behind much of the wave of violent crimes that the country is suffering.
From an FBI perspective, we are seeing a wide array of very dangerous threats that emanate from the border. And that includes everything from drug trafficking — the FBI alone seized enough fentanyl in the last two years to kill 270 million people — that's just on the fentanyl side. An awful lot of the violent crime in the United States is at the hands of gangs who are themselves involved in the distribution of that fentanyl.
Arrival of criminals linked to Tren de Aragua
Rubio took advantage of Wray's presence to ask him about the entry of criminals linked to Tren de Aragua and other dangerous gangs from Central and South America, who, as a result of Biden's "catch and release" policy, are walking freely within US territory. The FBI director did not want to go into details, but acknowledged that members of criminal organizations are sneaking in among the millions of people who have managed to cross the border during the last three years.
In addition, Wray recognized the existence of a black market for stolen identities that also reaches the streets of the country's cities. Rubio questioned him about the growing number of sales of fake social security cards and counterfeit or stolen green cards, to which Wray responded that the FBI is also investigating.
