No, Biden Did Not Grant Entry to Nearly 1,700 Individuals with Terrorist Ties

Border Patrol has stopped and detained people on the federal terrorist watchlist around 1,700 times since Biden took office. However, these individuals weren’t “let in” to the U.S.

On June 4, President Joe Biden announced plans to halt asylum processing at the United States-Mexico border. This move came after his administration faced criticism over its handling of the rising number of migrants.

Shortly after Biden’s announcement, Fox Business host Elizabeth MacDonald claimed that nearly 1,700 “illegal aliens” with ties to terrorism had been allowed into the country under Biden’s watch. She made this statement while interviewing U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.).

Former President Donald Trump echoed a similar claim on June 14 during a speech in West Palm Beach, Florida. Trump asserted that Biden let “thousands and thousands of terrorists” into the U.S. over the years.

These claims have sparked questions and skepticism online regarding their validity.

Has President Joe Biden “let in” nearly 1,700 people with links to terrorism?

The answer: No, President Joe Biden has not “let in” nearly 1,700 people with links to terrorism.

What we found:

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) data indicate that Border Patrol agents have encountered individuals on the federal terrorist watchlist nearly 1,700 times since Biden took office. These encounters mean the individuals were stopped and detained, not allowed entry into the U.S.

The Terrorist Screening Dataset (TSDS), known as the “watchlist,” contains information about known or suspected terrorists and individuals who may present a potential threat to the U.S., according to CBP.

CBP data as of June 5 showed 1,664 watchlist encounters from fiscal year 2021 through May 15, 2024. This period includes nearly three months before Biden’s inauguration on January 20, 2021.

About 78% of these encounters were at legal ports of entry, where officials can deny entry into the U.S. The remaining 367 encounters occurred between legal ports, mostly at the Southwest border.

According to CBP, individuals on the watchlist may be detained, removed, or handed over to another government agency for further action as appropriate.

CBP further noted that encounters with watchlisted individuals at U.S. borders are uncommon.

Denise Gilman, co-director of the Immigration Clinic at the University of Texas at Austin School of Law, told the Associated Press in 2022 that it was hard to imagine a scenario in which CBP would release a person on the watchlist.

Fox provided no evidence to support their claim that these encounters resulted in any entries.

This story was reported in collaboration with Wisconsin Watch, a member of the Gigafact network.