WASHINGTON – On Thursday, Congressman Lance Gooden (R-Texas) sent a letter to the Director of National Intelligence to request a briefing on national security and intelligence threats created by the ongoing border crisis.

Rep. Gooden said, “Terrorist networks have exploited the border crisis for two years, and the Biden Administration continuously downplays the risk. Members of Congress and the American people deserve the full picture of national security threats at our southern border. If this administration cannot control the situation, the next terrorist attack in the United States will be of Joe Biden’s making.”

Background: During the fiscal year 2022, 98 non-U.S. citizens on the Terrorist Screening Database were encountered by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) after illegally entering the United States. During that same time frame, 2.76 million undocumented migrants crossed the border illegally. It is unknown if more individuals on the terrorist watchlist have evaded border patrol and are roaming undetected throughout our country. This raises critical national security and intelligence concerns that must be immediately addressed by the Biden Administration.

You can read the full text of the letter to the Director of National Intelligence here.