(RepublicanReport.org) – In March 2023, US Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) reported 193,249 encounters at the southwest land border of the United States. While that number was down by over 29,000 from the previous year, one of the people who illegally crossed belonged to a known terrorist group and was let loose in America.
When Mohammad Kharwin was apprehended by authorities in California after entering the United States from Mexico, border agents suspected he had terrorist ties. That’s because he matched the description of someone on the 1.8 million-person-long FBI list.
However, the agents were unable to corroborate their suspicions. As such, they collected his data and released him, referring him to ICE’s Alternatives to Detention Program, where he was required to check in periodically. In February, the FBI confirmed he was a member of Hezb-e-Islami — a terrorist group — and he was arrested by ICE.
Hezb-e-Islami is a political and paramilitary group based in Afghanistan that has reportedly conducted attacks against Afghan and Coalition forces. Its members and the Taliban have similar ideologies.
A month later, on March 28, Kharwin appeared before an unnamed immigration judge in Texas. During the hearing, ICE prosecutors neglected to tell the court about the suspect’s terrorist ties, so the judge released him. The defendant had to pay a $12,000 bond, but the court didn’t restrict Kharwin’s movements. His freedom this time, however, would be short-lived.
On April 12, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told The New York Post that Kharwin was re-arrested the previous day and was currently in custody. The spokesperson confirmed that during the initial encounter in March 2023, the information about the immigrant’s terrorist ties couldn’t be confirmed, but as soon as the evidence was “conclusive,” ICE detained him. They said police were “tracking the matter closely” to ensure public safety.
Kharwin’s case reportedly represents the third similar incident within the last two years.
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