Since when is this okay?
The Biden-Harris administration has once again rejected news outlet’s requests to disclose the nationalities of individuals on the FBI’s terror watchlist who were apprehended by Border Patrol agents at the southern border. The administration’s rationale centers around privacy concerns and the potential risk of revealing law enforcement vulnerabilities that could jeopardize national security.
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has communicated to Fox News that revealing the nationalities of these individuals—whose presence on the watchlist signifies a potential threat—could inadvertently compromise their privacy and the effectiveness of anti-terrorism efforts. According to CBP, disclosing such data could lead to identification of specific individuals, particularly if the data pertains to a small number of people from certain nationalities. This, in turn, could enable terrorist groups to exploit any disclosed information to avoid detection and counteract U.S. security measures.
In an October 2023 Freedom of Information Act request, Fox News’ Bill Melugin sought only the nationalities of these suspects, not any other personal information such as names or dates of birth. CBP’s response reiterated its commitment to protecting individuals’ privacy and emphasized that even partial disclosure could lead to significant security risks. The agency has asserted that releasing this information might disclose sensitive investigative techniques and strategies, potentially allowing terrorists to adapt their tactics and avoid capture.
CBP also highlighted the risk that terrorists could use the disclosed data to infer patterns in U.S. border security and adjust their methods accordingly. For instance, if a specific nationality shows fewer apprehensions than expected, it might suggest that operatives from that nationality have been able to circumvent detection, thereby undermining the deterrent effect of the Terrorist Screening Dataset (TSDS).
In the past fiscal year, there were 172 encounters with nationals on the terror watchlist between ports of entry and more than 560 encounters at the ports themselves. This fiscal year, the numbers are 98 and 324, respectively. The TSDS includes known or suspected terrorists and others who may pose a threat, underscoring the importance of maintaining stringent security protocols.
The administration’s stance is clear: the priority is to safeguard both the privacy of individuals and the integrity of national security operations, even if it means withholding information that might otherwise inform public understanding of border security challenges.