Syrian Migrant Apprehended at Busy Texas Border Crossing

Texas Department of Public Safety marine unit troopers apprehended a group of migrants crossing the Rio Grande near Eagle Pass on Wednesday. Included in the group was a Syrian male along with five Venezuelan migrants.

A Texas DPS Tactical Marine Unit patrolling the Rio Grande near Eagle Pass on October 18 encountered a group of six migrants crossing the border near the busy border crossing point near Shelby Park in Eagle Pass. The troopers took the group into custody and transported them to the river bank.

10/18: @TxDPS Tactical Marine Unit intercepted a group of illegal immigrants crossing the Rio Grande near #ShelbyPark in Eagle Pass. Four males & one female from… pic.twitter.com/BXePMEUfhF

— Chris Olivarez (@LtChrisOlivarez) October 18, 2023

An investigation identified one of the migrants as a single adult male from Syria. The other five migrants included four adult males and one adult female from Venezuela, according to a post by DPS spokesman Lieutenant Chris Olivarez.

As reported by Breitbart Texas, increasing numbers of what the Border Patrol defines as “Special Interest Aliens” have been apprehended in the Eagle Pass area of operations.

According to a 2019 DHS fact sheet, the term “Significant Interest Alien” (SIA) is defined as follows:

Generally, an SIA is a non-U.S. person who, based on an analysis of travel patterns, potentially poses a national security risk to the United States or its interests.  Often such individuals or groups are employing travel patterns known or evaluated to possibly have a nexus to terrorism.  DHS analysis includes an examination of travel patterns, points of origin, and/or travel segments that are tied to current assessments of national and international threat environments.

On October 15, Border Patrol agents found an Iranian migrant who crossed with a group of 130 mostly Venezuelan migrants, according to a source operating with U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The Iranian migrant is described as a “fighting-age” single adult male.

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During a single week in October, Del Rio Sector agents, which includes the Eagle Pass area of operations, apprehended 11 migrants from the Middle East. Those migrants included six Iranian nationals, three Lebanese nationals, one Egyptian national, and one Saudi Arabian national.

Breitbart’s Randy Clark reported:

The source says the continued encounter of Special Interest migrants as tensions rise in the Middle East due to the recent Hamas attacks in Israel is alarming. “Things are developing so quickly in that region and migrants from that area continuing to arrive at the southern border presents an intelligence challenge for us,” the source told Breitbart Texas.

…

The SIAs enter in small numbers daily at almost all parts of the southwest border. As reported by Breitbart Texas, larger numbers of migrants from outside the hemisphere, including those from Special Interest countries, are more frequently encountered in Arizona.

“It’s understandable that people will flee from countries where terrorism exists, but with such high numbers of migrants from everywhere crossing daily, it’s hard to distinguish between those fleeing the conditions and those who may be actively participating in those activities,” the source explained.