U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) confirmed Thursday that one of two Jordanian nationals who tried to sneak onto a Marine Corps base in Virginia this month had entered the U.S. illegally across the southern border in April.
ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) confirmed in a statement to Fox5DC that the Jordanian national, referred to as “noncitizen 2” had entered the U.S. illegally less than a month prior:
On April 8, 2024, the U.S. Border Patrol (USBP) arrested Jordanian noncitizen 2 near San Ysidro, California, following his unlawful entry into the United States.
On April 9, 2024, the USBP issued Jordanian noncitizen 2 a Notice to Appear before a Department of Justice (DOJ) immigration judge. Later that day, USBP released the Jordanian noncitizen on an Order of Recognizance.
ERO also said the other Jordanian national, referred to as “noncitizen 1,” had entered on a student visa on September 11, 2022, on a F-1 nonimmigrant student visa, but that his “Student and Exchange Visitor Information System record was set to ‘terminated’” on January 14, 2023.
ERO said:
On May 3, 2024, the Quantico Marine Corps Base in Quantico, VA arrested the Jordanian noncitizens for trespassing. On the same date, ERO Washington responded to the Quantico Marine Corps Base and interviewed the noncitizens. ERO Washington arrested both noncitizens after confirming their immigration status.
ERO said both noncitizens would remain in ICE ERO custody pending the outcome of their removal proceedings.
“ICE has no information that would suggest either noncitizen is associated with any organization that would pose a public safety or national security threat,” the statement said.
Statement: Attributable to ERO Washington spokesperson James Covington pic.twitter.com/qcs8MhYe4w
— Allison Papson (@AllisonPapson) May 24, 2024
A local news organization first reported the intrusion on May 10, 2024.
Potomac Local News reported that the two Jordanian nationals in the “early morning hours” drove up to the base’s main gate in a box truck and told the guards they were “contractors for Amazon” and were making a delivery to the base’s post office.
They did not provide any credentials and were directed to a holding area for vetting. A base spokesman said one of the guards noticed that the driver was ignoring the direct instructions of the officers and “continued to move the vehicle past the holding area and attempted to access” the base.
Officers then used vehicle denial barrier to stop the vehicle and detained the men.
The outlet reported that one of the occupants of the vehicle “is on the U.S. terrorist watch list.”
The base was then put on heightened security, and a mass email was sent to base personnel urging them to be on high alert, the report said.
According to Fox News, Amazon said it does not appear the individuals were delivering on behalf of the company and that it is looking into the matter.
Republicans on the House Homeland Security Committee are opening an investigation into the incident.
