17 Individuals on FBI Terror Watch List Caught Attempting Entry at Southern Border

A record number of individuals of interest on the watch list have also been attempting entry at U.S. ports of entry on either the northern or southern border.

Border Patrol agents and Texas law enforcement officers detain illegal immigrants near the U.S.–Mexico border in McAllen, Texas on Dec. 1, 2022. John Moore/Getty Images

Border Patrol officers in the month of November identified 17 individuals on the FBI’s terror watch list attempting to illegally enter the United States outside an established port of entry on the southern border.

The 17 were processed by law enforcement agents after crossing into the United States, according to Customs and Border Protection (CBP). There has been an increasing trend in the number of known terrorists found to be entering the U.S. southern border beyond ports of entry, with a record 169 individuals detected in Financial Year 2023.