These threats encompass drug trafficking, violent gangs, and smugglers with potential links to ISIS.
During a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing, Senator Marco Rubio, R-Fla., questioned Wray about the dangers at the border, specifically mentioning the Tren de Aragua gang from Venezuela. While Wray refrained from commenting on a specific gang, he underscored the presence of dangerous individuals infiltrating the U.S. via the southern border.
"From an FBI perspective, we are seeing a wide array of very dangerous threats that emanate from the border. And that includes everything from drug trafficking — the FBI alone seized enough Fentanyl in the last two years to kill 270 million people — that's just on the Fentanyl side," Wray stated.
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He further noted the significant role of gangs in the distribution of Fentanyl, leading to a considerable amount of violent crime in the United States. "An awful lot of the violent crime in the United States is at the hands of gangs who are themselves involved in the distribution of that fentanyl," he added.
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The presence of gangs, including Tren De Aragua, has been a cause for concern among officials. Fox News recently reported on a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) internal bulletin urging agents to be vigilant for individuals crossing the border who may exhibit signs of affiliation with the notorious gang. The report also linked the brother of a suspect in the murder of Georgia student Laken Riley to the gang. Both the suspect and his brother, Venezuelans who entered the U.S. illegally, are reportedly connected to the gang.
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Rubio further probed Wray on the possibility of smuggling networks, which are transporting people globally, having links to ISIS or other terrorist organizations.
Wray responded cautiously, "So, I want to be a little bit careful how far I can go in open session, but there is a particular network that, where some of the overseas facilitators of the smuggling network have ISIS ties that we're very concerned about and that we've been spending an enormous amount of effort with our partners investigating. Exactly what that network is up to is something that's, again, the subject of our current investigation."
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Upon Rubio's request for confirmation of a network with facilitators linked to ISIS, Wray affirmed, "Correct."
The border issue has escalated into a significant political matter, with over 2.4 million migrant encounters in FY 23, and a record-breaking month of over 300,000 encounters in FY 24. Both President Biden and former President Donald Trump have visited the border this month. Republicans attribute the crisis to the current administration, while the administration argues for increased funding, staffing, and immigration reform from Congress, accusing Republicans of obstructing these aids for political gain.
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