On Monday, it seemed like a usual day at the U.S.-Mexico border fence in San Ysidro, but there are now fresh concerns about who might be entering the country. ABC News has verified that officials from U.S. Customs and Border Protection in San Diego issued an intelligence alert, suggesting that there could be a potential presence of Hamas and Hezbollah militants at the Southwest border.
“Individuals inspired by, or reacting to, the current Israel-Hamas conflict may attempt travel to or from the area of hostilities in the Middle East via circuitous transit across the Southwest border,” the notice reads.
This is a matter of national security. Look at the latest memo sent to border patrol.
— Supervisor Jim Desmond (@jim_desmond) October 23, 2023
The San Diego Field Office Intelligence Division of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) sent the memo warning that due to the war between Israel and Hamas, there could be encounters of…
ABC News also stated that the intelligence document it acquired displayed a variety of symbols linked to Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad groups. The document also advised CBP personnel to remain watchful for young men wearing military attire and traveling alone. Immigration advocate Pedro Rios has labeled these concerns as politically motivated.
On Sunday, San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond took to Twitter to address the Border Patrol alert, characterizing it as a matter of national security.
Volunteers on Monday offered water, nourishment, and medical provisions to migrants at solidarity stations. A gathering of individuals, including men, women, and children, waited in the area between the fences for Border Patrol processing. Howie Rosen, a recent volunteer, was interviewed by ABC 10News.
In comparison to the 15,000 contacts in September 2022, there were more than 26,000 encounters in September of this year, an increase of more than 67%. According to Rios, the numbers are currently lower than they were when Title 42 was terminated.
