Published: 21:23 GMT, 11 March 2024 | Updated: 21:37 GMT, 11 March 2024
FBI Director Chris Wray is concerned that illegal migrants coming across the southern border could potentially launch another 9/11 terrorist attack on U.S. soil.
The intelligence chief’s disclosure came during a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on the greatest worldwide threats facing the U.S. today.
The hearing was interrupted several times by pro-Palestine protestors shouting ‘ceasefire now!’ during remarks by the nation’s top spy chiefs.
According to the latest annual report put out Monday by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the U.S. is ‘facing a fragile world order’ due to ‘accelerating strategic competition with major authoritarian powers’ working to undermine order.
That includes Russia’s growing desire for an arsenal of nuclear space weapons and China and Iran’s efforts to meddle in the upcoming 2024 election through TikTok and other malign influence operations.
One top concern is the ongoing migrant crisis at the porous southern border that has seen over 7.2 million individuals enter since President Biden took office.
Top Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, questioned Wray about the issue of the southern border being used by adversaries of the U.S., and terrorists in particular.
7.2 million individuals have entered the U.S. through the southern border since President Biden took office
Wray replied ‘I do’ when asked by Cornyn about whether he is concerned if potential terrorists coming across the southern border could do harm to Americans, similar to the terror attacks on 9/11
When pressed by Cornyn about whether terrorists may be among the over 1.8 million ‘gotaways’ who have evaded capture by border officials, Wray said it’s possible.
He cited former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld saying ‘we don’t know what we don’t know.’
‘And I think there are many ways the national security ramifications of the issues at the border are better reflected in some ways more by what we don’t know about the people who snuck in, provided fake documents or in some other way, got in when there wasn’t sufficient information about the time they came in to connect the dots,’ said Wray.
‘It is almost more significant in our view,’ he continued ‘because those people, for the most part, are stopped detained and processed.’
The Texas senator brought up the fact that there were just 26 co-conspirators in the 9/11 attacks, killing over 3,000 people.
‘I worry that among the people that are coming across the border that are evading law enforcement, that there are some people among those that mean to do us harm. Do you share that concern?’ asked Cornyn.
Wray replied ‘I do.’
Another top issue of concern to the FBI director is the report from over the summer that exposed that individuals from Uzbekistan were smuggled by an ISIS terrorist into the U.S. after being screened by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
As a result, the FBI became aware about the ISIS terrorist cell that used human trafficking operations to infiltrate the U.S.
‘So that’s a threat stream that we’re very concerned about,’ Wray confirmed Monday.
‘We’re very actively investigating working with DHS on both people whose travel was facilitated but also members of the facilitation network in some other way overseas.’
He said he would go into greater detail with senators during the closed classified session.
‘I worry that among the people that are coming across the border that are evading law enforcement, that there are some people among those that mean to do us harm. Do you share that concern?’ asked Cornyn
The FBI is aware about the ISIS terrorist cell that used human trafficking operations to infiltrate the U.S.
Another top issue of concern to the FBI director is the report from over the summer that exposed that individuals from Uzbekistan were smuggled by an ISIS terrorist into the U.S. after being screened by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
Other items outlined in the annual threat assessment report included the risk of adversaries of the U.S. getting their hands on nuclear weapons.
‘Moscow will be more reliant on nuclear and counterspace capabilities for strategic deterrence as it works to rebuild its ground force,’ said the report.
That line is significant due to reports from last month that Putin wants to put nuclear weapons in space, according to U.S. intelligence.