Amid a bitter election-year debate over illegal immigration, FBI Director Chris Wray told a Senate panel on Monday that dangerous individuals have entered the United States illegally at the southern border.
“We have had dangerous individuals entering the United States have a variety of sources,” Wray said at the annual “Worldwide Threats” congressional hearings at which the heads of U.S. intelligence agencies testify.
“We are seeing a wide array of very dangerous threats that emanate from the border, ” he said, citing drug trafficking in particular. “The FBI alone seized enough fentanyl in the last two years to kill 270 million people,” he said.
FBI Director Christopher Wray testifying during a Senate Select Committee on Intelligence on the “Annual Worldwide Threats Assessment” in the Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, Mar. 11, 2024.
Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images
Wray, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, CIA Director William Burns, Defense Intelligence Agency Director Jeffery Kruse, NSA Director Timothy Haugh, and State Department Assistant Secretary Brett Holmgren testify before the House and Senate every year and detail threats the U.S. faces.
While Wray said there is “no doubt” criminals have entered the United States at the southern border, he said there is no specific plot.
“There is a particular network that has — some of the overseas facilitators of the smuggling network have — ISIS ties that we’re very concerned about, and we’ve been spending enormous amount of effort with our partners investigating,” Wray said.
Overall, he said, threats from various groups have reached a “whole other level.”
“Even before October 7, I would have told this committee that we were at a heightened threat level from a terrorism perspective — in the sense that it’s the first time I’ve seen in a long, long time,” he said. “The threats from homegrown violent extremists that is jihadist-inspired, extremists, domestic violent extremists, foreign terrorist organizations, and state-sponsored terrorist organizations all being elevated at one time since October 7, though, that threat has gone to a whole other level. And so, this is a time I think for much greater vigilance, maybe been called upon us,” he said.
(L to R) Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency Lieutenant General Jeffrey Krus, FBI Director Christopher Wray, CIA Director William Burns, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, US Air Force Lieutenant General Timothy Haugh and Assistant Secretary of State for Intelligence and Research Brett Holmgren testify during a Senate Intelligence Committee on worldwide threats, in Washington, Mar. 11, 2024.
Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images
The intelligence chiefs were asked about the threat from China, the conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine, as well as how artificial intelligence could influence the U.S 2024 election.
CIA Director Burns said U.S. support for Ukraine against Russian President Vladimir Putin has the “very real possibility of cementing strategic success for Ukraine and a strategic loss of relative importance for Russia.”
Not providing that support, he said, would have widespread consequences.
“Without supplemental assistance it seems to me lies a much grimmer future, Ukraine, is likely to lose ground and probably significant ground in 2024. A senior Ukrainian member of the government, Burns said, told him that their men “fought as long and as hard as they could” but they just ran out of ammunition.
“I think the consequences of that are going to be felt not only by Ukrainians in European security, but across the Indo-Pacific,” where he said the U.S. could be seen as walking away from support for Ukraine. “Not only is that going to feed doubts amongst our allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific, it’s going to stoke the ambition, so the Chinese leadership in contingencies ranging from Taiwan to the South China Sea,” he said.
FBI Director Christopher Wray recently issued a warning about the increasing number of dangerous individuals crossing the southern border into the United States. Wray expressed concern about the potential threats posed by these individuals, including drug traffickers, human smugglers, and members of violent gangs.
According to Wray, the FBI has seen a significant uptick in criminal activity along the southern border in recent months. This includes an increase in drug trafficking, human smuggling, and violent crime. Wray emphasized that these individuals are not only a danger to border communities, but also pose a threat to national security.
One of the biggest concerns raised by Wray is the potential for terrorists to exploit the porous border to enter the United States. While there is currently no evidence of any specific terrorist plots, Wray warned that the situation at the southern border creates an opportunity for extremists to slip into the country undetected.
In response to these growing threats, the FBI has increased its presence along the southern border and is working closely with other law enforcement agencies to combat criminal activity. Wray also called on Congress to provide additional resources and support to help secure the border and protect American communities.
The warning from FBI Director Christopher Wray serves as a stark reminder of the challenges faced by law enforcement agencies in securing the southern border. As the influx of dangerous individuals continues to grow, it is crucial that the government takes action to address this pressing issue and protect the safety and security of all Americans.
