Congress investigates Jordanians caught trying to sneak onto Marine base

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A worrying incident earlier this month in which two Jordanian migrants were caught trying to push their way onto a Marine Corps base has members of Congress demanding answers into whether the men had terrorism ties.

House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green, Tennessee Republican, said the incident reflects a “terrifying reality” about the border, where an unprecedented number of people on the terrorism watchlist have been detected trying to sneak into the U.S. from Mexico.

“This brazen attempt shows we are in an even more dire situation than many want to admit, and that eventually, the consequences of these potential national security threats running loose in our country will come back to haunt us,” Mr. Green said in a letter obtained exclusively by The Washington Times.

In the May 3 incident, security forces at Marine Corps Base Quantico encountered a box truck approaching the base.

The two occupants said they were trying to make an Amazon-related delivery. Security pointed them to a quarantine area while their story was investigated, but the men defied the instructions, according to base officials.

They were arrested and turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which has confirmed the men were Jordanians and said they are now facing deportation. ICE, breaking with its usual practice, released no other details.

Potomac Local, the news website that broke the story of the incursion attempt, reported that one of the migrants was a recent border arrival and one is on a terrorist watchlist.

Mr. Green said that’s troubling.

He and three of his subcommittee chairs fired off a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, FBI Director Christopher A. Wray and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin demanding to know what, exactly, happened at Quantico and who the two men really are.

“If individuals on the terrorist watchlist are so emboldened to attempt to breach a Marine Corps base, the Department of Homeland Security and the entire executive branch must act swiftly to identify, apprehend, and detain such hostile actors on American soil,” the lawmakers said.

Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, has also prodded the Biden administration, asking Mr. Mayorkas for details on the two men.

“Please explain how they came to the United States,” he said.

Homeland Security, in a statement to The Times, said it would “respond appropriately” to the congressional inquiries.

The possibility of a terror threat making it across the southern border has loomed large as Mr. Biden oversees the most chaotic border in modern times.

Since the start of 2021, more than 360 people on the terrorist watchlist have been detected jumping the southern border. The figure for four years under President Trump was 11.

Republicans also point to the large number of what they call “military-age men” coming from adversarial nations and troubled regions.

Homeland Security, while agreeing to release the overall terror entry data, has declined to say much more about who exactly is being detected and what’s done about it.

Mr. Mayorkas has declined to say whether all terror watchlist migrants are being detained. Instead, he has told members of Congress his department will attempt to detain and deport migrants if his staff believes the migrants pose a safety threat.

In the Quantico base incident, authorities described it as an “unauthorized access attempt.”

It happened on May 3 at the base’s Fuller Gate.

The two men approached the gate in a box truck and were stopped by the sentries. The men said they were making a delivery to the post office.

Military police directed them to a waiting area to conduct a further investigation.

“It was at that time, one of the military police officers noticed the driver, ignoring the direct instructions of the officers, continued to move the vehicle past the holding area and attempted to access Marine Corps Base Quantico,” a base spokesman said.

“Due to the swift response and execution of their duties, the officers were able to deploy the vehicle denial barriers, prevent any further access to Marine Corps Base Quantico, and detain the individuals who were eventually turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody,” the spokesman said.

ICE spokesman James Covington said in a statement that deportation officers responded and arrested both men “without incident.”

”Both individuals will remain in ERO custody pending removal proceedings,” Mr. Covington said. “Entering the United States without authorization is a violation of federal law, and those who do so [may] be subject to administrative arrest, and in some cases, criminal prosecution.”

Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly identified Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.