FBI in search of migrants in US with links to ISIS smuggler

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: News Websites
29 Aug 2023 19:52
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More than a dozen Uzbek nationals who requested asylum in the US earlier in 2023 entered the southern border with the help of an ISIS-linked smuggler.

A US border patrol agent leads a line of women to a van as they wait to apply for asylum between two border walls on May 11, 2023. (AP)

The FBI is allegedly trying to locate more than a dozen Uzbek nationals who requested asylum in the United States earlier this year after intelligence analysts found that they came to the southern border with the assistance of an ISIS-linked smuggler.

According to National Security Council Spokesperson Adrienne Watson, officials are seeking to "identify and assess" all of the individuals involved, and anonymous officials have revealed a number of migrants are being investigated as criminal risks.

“There was no indication — and remains no indication — that any of the individuals facilitated by this network have a connection to a foreign terrorist organization, or are engaged in plotting a terrorist attack in the United States,” Watson stressed.

According to authorities, the individuals claimed asylum at the Mexican border earlier this year and were examined by Homeland Security.

CNN earlier reported that no red lights were aroused by the intelligence community, and they were all allowed into the US.

Subsequently, the FBI uncovered a smuggling network assisting Uzbeks in entering the US, which included at least one individual with links to ISIS.

According to the article, the bureau launched a national search for the migrants and collaborated with Turkish officials, who caught the smuggler and other members of the network.

Officials claimed that the agency has now received further information from the alleged smuggler to help with its probe.

Since then, Homeland Security has detained, vetted, and eventually expedited the deportation of migrants who "fit the profile associated with individuals who were facilitated by this network," according to Watson.

As per the NSC representative claims, the ISIS-linked smuggler is not a member of the terrorist group, but rather an independent contractor with personal affinities for it.

Many have yet to be identified, and more than 15 of those who have been identified are still being investigated as potential criminal threats.

The revelation of the ISIS-linked network has raised concerns in Washington at a time when Republican presidential hopefuls are emphasizing border security.

According to CNN, an urgent secret intelligence assessment was distributed to President Biden's senior cabinet officials in their daily briefing book, triggering a flurry of urgent meetings among top national security and administration officials.

Key congressional committee staff have also been notified.