The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has identified an alarming human smuggling network linked to ISIS, responsible for bringing over 400 migrants from Central Asia and other regions into the United States. Disturbingly, the whereabouts of more than 50 of these individuals remain unknown, according to a report by NBC News.
Three U.S. officials disclosed that more than 150 of the migrants have been apprehended. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is actively seeking to arrest the others on immigration charges. Many of these migrants crossed the southern border and were initially released into the country by Customs and Border Protection, as they were not on the government's terrorism watchlist at the time.
Although no immediate concerns were flagged when these migrants entered, recent terrorist attacks in Russia have heightened awareness of ISIS and its affiliate, ISIS-K. Consequently, the DHS has intensified monitoring of migrants from countries where ISIS-K is known to operate, including Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Moldova, Kyrgyzstan, Georgia, and Russia.
Leaked border data obtained by The New York Post reveals that over 1,500 migrants from Tajikistan entered the U.S. between October 2020 and May 2024. While it is unclear how many were released into the country, most migrants caught at the border claim asylum and are allowed to stay while awaiting court hearings.
This scrutiny follows a significant attack by ISIS-K on a concert hall in Moscow on March 22, which was carried out by Tajik citizens and resulted in 145 deaths and hundreds of injuries. Former FBI counterterrorism section chief Christopher O’Leary emphasized the seriousness of the situation, noting that ICE is likely seeking to arrest these individuals regardless of any evidence of planned terrorist activities.
“I believe the U.S. is scrambling to locate these individuals, and using immigration charges is not uncommon,” O’Leary told NBC. “They are in violation of that law. And if you need to take somebody off the street, that’s a good approach to do it.”
While federal law enforcement agencies are not panicking, they have identified these individuals as “subjects of concern” and are prioritizing their arrest out of caution, according to two officials. Some of the 150 migrants who have been arrested have already been deported, though none have been charged with terrorism-related offenses to date.
