Watchdog faults "ineffective" Border Patrol process for release of migrant on terror watchlist

The Department of Homeland Security's internal watchdog on Wednesday questioned the Border Patrol's system for determining whether migrants could pose a national security risk due to terrorism ties, calling current procedures "ineffective."

The report from the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Inspector General focused on the release of a migrant in 2022 who was later found to be on the FBI's terrorist watchlist.

Government investigators said Border Patrol agents released the migrant and his family in April 2022 before federal law enforcement officials were able to determine whether he was on the Terrorist Screening Dataset, an FBI system that tracks known or suspected terrorists, as well as their affiliates.