Mayorkas responds to reports of 400 migrants smuggled into US, says they have no known ties to ISIS

Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas clarified on Wednesday that 400 migrants who were smuggled into the United States by a network known to have ties to the Islamic State, do not have known ties to the terrorist group themselves. 

Three officials within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) told NBC News on Tuesday that 400 migrants were illegally brought into the U.S. over the span of three years, and that 50 of those individuals are still unaccounted for.

Mayorkas commented that "precision" is necessary when dealing with facts, and that the report was inaccurate because the department did not identify 400 migrants with possible ties to the Islamic State of Iran and Syria (ISIS). 

“That reporting is incorrect. We do not have identified 400 people with potential ISIS ties," Mayorkas said in a press briefing in Tuscon, Arizona. “And let me ... assure you, that individuals who are identified to have those ties would pose a concern to us from a public safety and security perspective, and they would be priorities for detention and removal."

The previous report labeled the 50 missing illegal immigrants, who largely stem from Central Asia, as “subjects of concern." The officials also claimed that they are prioritizing those immigrants' arrests out of an "abundance of caution." 

“In this case, it was the information that suggested a potential tie to ISIS because of some of the individuals involved that led us to want to take extra care," a senior Biden administration official told NBC. "Out of an abundance of caution [we made] sure that we exercised our authority in the most expansive and appropriate way to mitigate risk because of this potential connection being made.” 

The comments come as tension over border security heats up between the Biden administration and Republicans in Congress. House Republicans voted on Wednesday to prohibit the department from using Congressional funds to pay Mayorkas's salary, and the chamber voted to impeach Mayorkas in February.

“In President Biden and Secretary Mayorkas’ America, border security and immigration enforcement have become a punchline," House Homeland Security chairman Mark Green said in a statement shared with Just The News. "There’s literally no one President Biden won’t turn away—including illegal aliens from problematic countries smuggled in by networks connected to ISIS.

"Every alarm is flashing red, and my committee has long warned that this administration’s open-borders agenda is bringing bad actors into the homeland in droves," he continued. "DHS has now admitted yet again that this is true. This is unacceptable, preventable, and absolutely terrifying."

Green also slammed Senate Democrats for not removing Mayorkas after the House impeached him, claiming that "true leaders would have accepted responsibility, adjusted their policies, and stepped aside for those who will enforce the laws they swore to uphold."

"The Biden administration and its congressional enablers have failed the American people," the congressman concluded. 

Misty Severi is an evening news reporter for Just the News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.