Renata Kiss, FISM News
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Who are the migrants in America? The recent Hamas attack on Israel’s southern border is raising concerns over border crossings in the U.S.
The Washington Examiner reported on Wednesday that Border Patrol agents received a ‘high alert’ warning after its intelligence uncovered a plot asking for the home addresses of agents for the purpose of “torturing” federal law enforcement and their family members. The FBI is now looking into screenshots of text messages shared exclusively with the news outlet, pointing to concerning evidence.
“We will pay for any addresses of Border Patrol agents!! $200 your way if you get me a border patrol agent’s address. $1K if you get me they mommas address,” reads one screenshot. “We offer $$$ for information on BP agents. Top dollar on good info. I’ll post us torturing any bp agent u send [sic],” read the text messages.
The El Paso regional office reported these threats to agents on Tuesday upon learning the information.
“Las Cruces FBI agents encountered a message in [which] a subject is offering money to anyone who can provide addresses of BPAs,” the office warned. “The sender offered a higher compensation amount for the addresses of any agents’ mother and/or ‘Top dollar’ for good information on agents. The sender stated he would post them torturing any BPA they send information on.”
The letter urged the officers to “remain cognizant of their surroundings at all times” and to “immediately report any suspicious activity to their supervisors.”
The threat comes as U.S. Customs and Border Protection sources reported more than 8,000 “special interest countries” encounters at the southern border in September, 1,000 more than in August.
“Special interest” refers to individuals with potential ties to terrorist groups. Reportedly, in fiscal year 2023, over 3,000 of these encounters were with people who came from Egypt, while almost 1,000 came from Iran and Syria combined.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah’s ties to Venezuela have also been a source of concern for agents since the communist country lacks proper visa requirements. Agents argue that this has the potential to create a hotbed for terrorists, who could easily establish residency in Venezuela only to cross over into the U.S. Venezuelan migrants are currently the largest noncitizen group in the states, numbering roughly 66,000.
At the same time, NewsNation reports that the DHS does not have any “specific or credible intelligence” indicative of Hamas threats in the U.S. stemming from the recent attacks in Israel. Nevertheless, the statement added that DHS will continue to monitor any changes in national or public safety.
The agency wrote that “DHS is closely monitoring unfolding events and will continue to engage in information sharing with our intelligence and law enforcement patterns at home and abroad. This information sharing helps ensure that we are positioned to help mitigate any risks to national security or public safety.”