FBI Director Wray pressed on 8 ISIS-linked border crossers released into US (2024)

FIRST ON FOX: Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., penned a letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray on Thursday, demanding answers on how eight Tajikistan nationals — who crossed the border illegally and were later arrested in three major American cities over the past several days amid suspicion they have ties to the terror group ISIS — had been released into the U.S. interior in the first place.

Moran called on Wray to elaborate on testimony he gave last week before the Senate Appropriations' Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies, which has oversight of the FBI.

"Last week, during the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) budget hearing before the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies, we discussed the concerning trend that more known or suspected terrorists are exploiting our southern border to gain access to the United States. Today, we have learned that eight ISIS suspects, nationals of Tajikistan, were finally arrested after crossing the southern border last year, despite being vetted during their initial processing," Moran wrote in the letter, exclusively obtained by Fox News Digital. "The Biden administration’s policies allow those entering our country illegally to move freely about the United States. The FBI, along with its intelligence and law enforcement partners, must act decisively to stop the terrorists who will inevitably exploit this vulnerability."

The senator wrote that he and Wray shared "the same concern about suspected terrorists and watch-list subjects crossing the border."

FBI DIRECTOR WRAY WARNED OF TERROR THREAT POSED BY OPEN BORDER DAYS BEFORE 8 ISIS SUSPECTS ARRESTED ACROSS US

FBI Director Christopher Wray arrives to testify during a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee hearing in Washington, D.C., on June 4. (Samuel Corum/Getty Images)

Wray testified last week, "The bigger problem, in my view, is twofold. One, individuals who, when they come in, are either armed with fake documents or snuck in some way or — or, and this is very important, individuals for whom there's not enough derogatory information in the intelligence community to watch list them yet."

Given the eight Tajikistan nationals with ties to ISIS "were allowed to enter the US and later arrested in New York, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia by Immigration and Customs Enforcement [ICE] in conjunction with the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force," Moran pressed Wray to answer "based on your understanding of this case and our discussion last week, how were these individuals allowed to enter the United States?"

Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., questions FBI Director Christopher Wray during a Senate hearing in Washington, D.C., on June 4. (Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty Images)

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"Do either of the two categories of issues you outlined for me apply in this case?" Moran, who serves as vice chair of the subcommittee, asked Wray. "Most importantly, what can the FBI do to ensure that suspected terrorists and watch-list subjects do not make it to our major cities or anywhere else inside the United States?"

AUTHORITIES NAB 8 SUSPECTED TERRORISTS WITH TIES TO ISIS IN MULTI-CITY STING OPERATION

"I stand ready to work with you to solve this critical issue facing our country," Moran wrote. "Because of this administration’s immigration and parole polices, the burden will remain on our intelligence and law enforcement communities to address this threat on U.S. soil. We must do everything in our power to ensure the safety of the American people."

FBI Director Christopher Wray testifies on the FBI's proposed budget for the 2025 fiscal year in Washington, D.C., on June 4. (Samuel Corum/Getty Images)

The eight Tajikistan nationals crossed the southern border illegally and initially had no derogatory information that was flagged to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) or the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) initially during processing, a federal source told Fox News on Tuesday. They received "full vetting" before they were released into the U.S., the source added.

It was afterward that new derogatory information flagged national security concerns — and ISIS ties.

READ THE MORAN LETTER — APP USERS, CLICK HERE:

"Our adversaries know the our southern border is wide open, putting American lives at risk," Moran said in a statement to Fox News Digital. "Last week, I questioned FBI Director Wray regarding steps the FBI is taking to protect Americans from terrorists illegally crossing the southern border. I appreciate the FBI’s work to track down these eight potential terrorists, but the fact of the matter is, the Biden administration should never have allowed these suspected terrorists onto U.S. soil in the first place. The disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan and a defenseless border has left our country vulnerable to attack."

An FBI spokesperson confirmed the bureau received Moran's letter and referred Fox News Digital to its original statement about the operation.

"Over the last few days, ICE agents arrested several non-citizens pursuant to immigration authorities," the FBI and DHS said in a joint statement Tuesday. "The actions were carried out in close coordination with the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Forces. The individuals arrested are detained in ICE custody pending removal proceedings. As the FBI and DHS have recently described in public and partner bulletins, the U.S. has been in a heightened threat environment. The FBI and DHS will continue working around the clock with our partners to identify, investigate, and disrupt potential threats to national security. "

It is unclear if the arrests will result in any terror-related charges.

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Last week, Wray warned the subcommittee that since Hamas' Oct. 7 attack in southern Israel, a "rogue gallery of foreign terrorist organizations" have been calling for attacks on Americans, the U.S. and U.S. allies.

"And given those calls for action, our most immediate concern has been that individuals or small groups will draw a twisted inspiration from the events in the Middle East to carry out attacks here at home," Wray said. "But now, on top of that, increasingly concerning is the potential for a coordinated attack here in the homeland, not unlike the ISIS K attack we saw at the Russian concert hall back in March."