The remarks follow an ISIS terrorist attack in New Orleans on New Year’s Day.
Sen. Jim Banks (R-IN) stated during a weekend interview that dozens of illegal aliens smuggled into the U.S. by an ISIS-affiliated network are currently unaccounted for.
Banks shared these comments during a Sunday CNN interview on State of the Union with Jake Tapper. He referred to last week’s ISIS-linked terrorist attack in New Orleans’ French Quarter, where a recent convert to Islam killed at least 14 people.
“We have got to get down to the reality of the matter that we have had 400 ISIS-smuggled people coming into our country that the Department of Homeland Security told us about last summer,” Banks said. “And 50 of them, we don’t know where they are. We don’t know who they are or where they are. And we have to take that more seriously. I know President Trump will do that.”
Banks pointed out that during President Donald Trump’s first term, the ISIS caliphate was “eradicated,” but the terror group has resurged in recent years, partly due to President Joe Biden’s withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Sen. Jim Banks (R-IN): “We have had 400 ISIS smuggled people coming into our country that the Department of Homeland Security told us about last summer. And 50 of them, we don't know where they are. We don't know who they are or where they are.” pic.twitter.com/WdbSwqE8fS
— Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) January 5, 2025
Banks reiterated: “We have had 400 ISIS-smuggled people coming into our country that the Department of Homeland Security told us about last summer. And 50 of them, we don’t know where they are. We don’t know who they are or where they are.”
According to multiple U.S. officials and NBC News, the Department of Homeland Security believes the 50 illegal aliens have dispersed into 17 different states after illegally crossing the border.
These individuals were released into the U.S. because there was no information at the time linking them to terrorism when encountered by U.S. Border Patrol.
Illegal aliens from regions where ISIS operates rarely have records in databases linking them to terrorism, as these areas often lack infrastructure to monitor suspects. Additionally, even if such data exists, countries may be unwilling to share it with the U.S., viewing America as an adversary.
