Jordanian nationals attempting to breach Marine Corps base spotlight larger issues

WASHINGTON (TND) — An attempted security breach at the Marine Corps base in Quantico, Virginia has placed a spotlight on how much the government doesn’t know about who is entering the U.S. illegally and what threats they may pose.

According to base officials, two Jordanian nationals drove a box truck up to the main gate, posing as Amazon delivery drivers earlier this month. They had no credentials and were denied entry but attempted to push through anyway. Officials said the men were quickly stopped, taken into custody, and handed over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement where they await deportation.

"The word is out all around the world, if you are dangerous, if you’re from a dangerous country come to America the Biden Administration will let you in," said Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, to Fox News on Friday.

A community paper, The Potomac Local, broke the story. According to their reporting, multiple sources said one of the men recently crossed into the U.S. via the Southern border and one is on the U.S. terror watchlist.

ICE has not yet confirmed if they’re here illegally or if either one is on a watchlist. The agency has classified them as non-citizens. Both the Pentagon and the White House are tight-lipped on details.

Given it’s an active law enforcement matter, I’ll have to refer you to ICE. I just can’t dive into this because this is a law enforcement matter," said Karine Jean-Pierre when pressed on the issue during Thursday's press briefing.

This comes as Fox News reports in the first three years of the Biden Administration, 1.6 million migrants evaded Border Patrol but were caught on cameras or detected by sensors, and are thus classified as “ known gotaways.” That figure is larger than the previous 10 years combined.

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“We don't know who these people are," pointed out Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas. "The 1.6 million gotaways could include very dangerous actors whether it be murders, rapists, drug dealers and traffickers.”

Under President Biden, border patrol encountered more than 367 people on the terror watch list, compared with just 14 during Donald Trump’s administration.

An increasing number of migrants attempting to enter the country illegally come from U.S. adversaries like China or Iran.

This fiscal year alone, border patrol encountered nearly 25,000 Chinese nationals at the southern border.