On Thursday’s broadcast of “CNN NewsNight,” host Abby Phillip responded to the surge in encounters of people on the terror watchlist on the border by stating that people on the terror watchlist didn’t carry out the recent attacks and people who aren’t on a watchlist are “the issue” and “what is causing the difficulty here from a law enforcement perspective.”
During a discussion on people blaming the New Orleans terrorist attack on the border, Republican strategist Katie Frost stated, [relevant remarks begin around 24:50] “If you look at the number of people on the terrorist watchlist who were apprehended at the border, back in fiscal year ’23, … we had 172. In fiscal year ’17, under President Trump, do you know how many we had? Two. That was it. It was single digits of the people on the terrorist watchlist apprehended at the southern border every single year in President Trump’s administration. Under President Biden, we’ve been in near triple digits every single year, except [for when it was 98].”
Phillip then responded, “But how many people on the terror watchlist have carried out these attacks? Because I guess my point is that we just had a whole discussion with a whole bunch of experts, and I think everybody agrees, the issue is people who are not on a watchlist.” Frost agreed with that point.
Phillip continued, “It’s a random guy going through a divorce in Houston. That is what is causing the difficulty here from a law enforcement perspective.”
Frost further stated that there is a risk that people on the terror watchlist in the country illegally can radicalize others.
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett
