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13 Syrians Caught Trying To Enter U.S. Through Mexican Border At Laredo Last Week

By Aaron Homer
Published on: 09:48 PST, Nov 22, 2015

Thirteen Syrians were caught trying to enter the United States through the border at Laredo, Texas, in the past week, Breitbart is reporting.

On Monday, November 16, eight Syrians were detained by Border Control agents after they attempted to cross the Juarez Lincoln Bridge from Mexico into Laredo, Texas.

Those Syrians were described as “two family units” – two men, two women, and four children, according to NBC Dallas. The Syrians were taken to separate detention facilities – the men to a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in Pearsall, Texas, and the women and children taken to a separate detention facility in Dilley, Texas.

A day earlier, five Pakistani immigrants and one Afghan immigrant were also caught trying to enter the U.S. from Mexico, via a border crossing in Arizona.

On Friday, another group of Syrians were stopped at the border in Laredo, according to KGNS (Laredo). That group of Syrians included five people: a family consisting of a man, a woman, and a child, as well as two individual men. They were taken to a detention facility as well.

In a statement provided to the media, Customs and Border Patrol (CPB) noted that the names of the Syrians were checked, and there was no information to indicate that they were dangerous.

“[CPB] checked their identities against numerous law enforcement and national security related databases. Records checks revealed no derogatory information about the individuals. CBP turned them over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for further processing and placement in an ICE facility.”

Despite the fact that the Syrians caught at the Laredo border so far have not shown up on any databases, some Border Patrol agents are not happy about the idea of Syrians entering through the U.S. on their watch. Hector Garza, president of the Border Patrol agents’ union NBPC Local 2455 expressed concern about Syrians crossing the border.

“Border Patrol agents who we represent have been contacting our organization to voice concerns about reports from other agents that Syrians crossed the U.S. border from Mexico in the Laredo Sector. Our agents have heard about Syrians being apprehended in the area from other federal agents. At this time, I cannot confirm or deny that Syrians have crossed, for security reasons.”

Breitbart correspondent Brandon Darby, speaking on Sirius/XM, said that recent reports of Syrians, as well as Afghans and Pakistanis, crossing the U.S. from Mexico at various points demonstrates that there is a “pipeline” funneling immigrants from the Middle East into Mexico.

“They are then able to move quickly up to the American border and then cross, either at a port of entry like these two groups of Syrians have done, or by crossing the wide-open unsecured border like happened in Arizona.”

Since last week’s deadly terrorist attacks in Paris, which killed 130 people and injured over 300, the U.S. has found itself in the midst of an intense debate about what to do with refugees fleeing civil war in Syria.

The Obama administration has floated a plan to accept 10,000 Syrian refugees – a plan which has been vehemently opposed by some conservatives, concerned that ISIS operatives or other radicalized Islamists may attempt to sneak in to the U.S. among the refugees. The governors have 26 states – so far – have publicly stated that they will not allow Syrian refugees into their states, though whether or not they have the legal authority to do so remains unclear.

As of this writing, it is not clear what will ultimately be done with the Syrians – and other Middle Eastern immigrants – who have crossed the border into the U.S. from Mexico.

[Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images]

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