Biden Administration Intensifies Screening of Tajik Migrants Amid ISIS Concerns
The Biden Administration has intensified efforts to prevent migrants from Tajikistan, a region noted for ISIS recruitment, from being released into the United States despite hundreds already entering the county.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers have been instructed in recent weeks to hold Tajik migrants in custody until they are thoroughly interviewed and evaluated by intelligence officials, according to a source from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) who spoke with the New York Post. This directive follows the arrest of eight Tajik nationals in major US cities for suspected ISIS ties.
However, the new order may be too little, too late as hundreds of Tajik migrants have already entered the country.
“It seems like the damage is already done,” explained Tom Homan, former acting ICE director. “I appreciate they’re trying to do what they can after the fact. The bottom line is, if they would turn on the Trump policies, secure the border, end catch and release, they’d be a hell of a lot safer.”
Data from the border reveals that over 1,500 Tajik migrants crossed the southern border between October 2020 and May 2024, with at least 500 apprehended this year—a significant increase compared to previous years. Historically, only 26 Tajik migrants were caught attempting to cross the border in the past 14 years.
ICE has added Tajikistan to its list of “heightened threat level countries,” requiring migrants from these nations to undergo security reviews before release.
Federal officials continue to warn of a “heightened” threat environment, fearing that ISIS members or other terrorists might exploit the southern border to enter the US. These concerns have escalated following an ISIS-K attack at a concert hall in Moscow in March, carried out by Tajik nationals, which resulted in 145 deaths.
“The rule of thumb under this administration is let everybody into the country, attempt to vet them after the fact,” criticized Charles Marino, a former senior law enforcement adviser at DHS. “That flies in the face of common sense.”
