Categories: U.S.

Border Patrol arrests South African national on terrorist watchlist who entered US illegally

close Video

Former DHS secretary: Americans ‘clearly’ want border security

Former DHS secretary Jeh Johnson joins ‘Fox & Friends’ to discuss the White House’s silence over drone sightings, the U.S. seeing record migrant surges under Biden, and the Harris County DA seeking the death penalty in the Jocelyn Nungaray case.  

A South African national who illegally entered the U.S. landed a “positive match” on the terrorist watchlist leading to his “swift” arrest in New York City.

According to U.S. Border Patrol Chief Jason Owens, the unidentified South African national was initially detained in Texas for criminal trespassing, but was released.

A Texas Department of Public Safety official confirmed to Fox News that the migrant was first arrested on a ranch near Eagle Pass in September, then they turned him over to federal border patrol who released him.

His arrest, alongside 36 other illegal migrants, was documented and shared on social media by Lt. Chris Olivarez, the spokesperson for the Texas DPS. Olivarez said that among the group were special interest illegal immigrants from Turkey, Pakistan, India and Vietnam.

ICE REMOVES NOTORIOUS DRUG CARTEL LEADER FROM US

U.S. Border Patrol announced the arrest of a South African national and suspected terrorist in Brooklyn, NY.  (Chief Jason Owens via X)

Owens said that a further investigation revealed a “positive match on the terrorist watchlist.”

The positive identification of the suspect being involved in terrorism led to a swift mutli-agency effort to arrest the individual in Brooklyn, New York. It is unclear how or when the suspect arrived in New York City.

An Eagle Pass Border Patrol agent looks over the Rio Grande scanning the area illegal traffic. (Shaul Schwarz/Getty Images)

“Thanks to the coordination of multiple agencies, this potential threat was located, taken into custody, and is now pending removal,” he said.

CLICK TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Fox News Digital has reached out to the Border Patrol for comment.

Sarah Rumpf-Whitten is a breaking news writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. 

Story tips and ideas can be sent to sarah.rumpf@fox.com and on X: @s_rumpfwhitten.

Share

Recent Posts

How future food domes could change the way you eat

A futuristic food dome at Expo 2025 Osaka-Kansai offered a surprising look at how cities…

6 hours ago

Fox News AI Newsletter: Hegseth moves to revolutionize American warfighting

IN TODAY’S NEWSLETTER: - Pentagon launches military AI platform powered by Google Gemini for defense…

22 hours ago

Third-party breach exposes ChatGPT account details

ChatGPT went from novelty to necessity in less than two years. It is now part…

1 day ago

Android Emergency Live Video gives 911 eyes on the scene

Holiday travel and winter storms create risky moments for drivers and families. Stress rises fast…

1 day ago

Malicious browser extensions hit 4.3M users

A long-running malware campaign quietly evolved over several years and turned trusted Chrome and Edge…

2 days ago

Google’s new Call Reason feature marks calls as urgent

Sometimes you need someone to answer right away. Maybe you are locked out. Maybe those…

2 days ago