Authorities say they saw a big group of illegal immigrants in Texas near the southern border. Some of them were from Iran and Africa.
According to the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), 134 migrants were seen on video from a drone in Maverick County on Thursday. Maverick County is on the border between Texas and Mexico.
The group had 32 children and teens who were not with an adult, as well as seven special interest refugees from Iran and Angola. People who might be a threat to U.S. national security are called “special interest immigrants.”
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) says that this designation means that the way these people move and act could point to a possible link to illegal activity, such as terrorism.
At the southern border in Texas earlier this month, dozens of illegal immigrants from countries with a history of terrorism were caught.
A few of them were from India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iran.
“It is this type of activity, these attempted illegal crossings between the ports of entry by people coming from areas that are hot spots for terrorist activity that clearly highlight the concerns of Governor Abbott and the state of Texas,” DPS Director Steven McCraw said then.
“These are not illegal immigrants seeking asylum — these are people trying to cross into the United States undetected who may also be trying to do us harm,” he said.
The DHS warned of migrants with ties to terrorism in its annual danger assessment, which came out earlier this month.
“Over the next year, we expect some individuals with terrorism ties and some criminal actors will continue their efforts to exploit migration flows and the complex border security environment to enter the United States,” the report says.
“Individuals with potential terrorism connections continue to attempt to enter the Homeland at both the US-Mexico and US-Canada borders and also through the immigration system,” it said.
Source: Texas troopers find 134 illegal immigrants near the border, some from Iran, authorities say
