FBI Director Kash Patel warned Wednesday that terror sleeper cell threats in the United States are real, speaking at a federal courthouse in Allentown, Pennsylvania alongside Sen. David McCormick, R-Pa.
The comments came during a roundtable focused on cracking down on fentanyl, where both officials pointed to recent attacks in Norfolk, Virginia and West Bloomfield, Michigan as evidence of growing danger from foreign-linked terrorism.
Patel referenced the shooting at Old Dominion University in Norfolk last month, where Mohamed Jalloh, a naturalized U.S. citizen originally from Sierra Leone who had been convicted of supporting ISIS in 2017, opened fire in a classroom and killed one person.
Also in March, federal investigators said Ayman Mohamad Ghazali was radicalized by Iran-backed Hezbollah when he allegedly crashed his vehicle into a synagogue in West Bloomfield, Michigan that was filled with more than 100 children.
What the Left Is Saying
During the Biden administration, White supremacy was designated as a top priority terror threat. President Biden told a Howard University audience that he worked to single out the most dangerous threat to our homeland as White supremacy, reflecting the administration's focus on domestic extremism.
Democrats have opposed efforts to fully fund the Department of Homeland Security, with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer leading resistance to continuing resolutions. McCormick has criticized this position, arguing that blocking DHS funding amounts to voting against law enforcement.
The Trump administration has prioritized defending the homeland and allocated resources toward that goal, according to Patel. The FBI director said recent tragic examples serve as a reminder of what happens when convicted terrorists are allowed to remain in the country without serving full sentences.
What the Right Is Saying
Patel and McCormick have linked current terror threats to border policies during the Biden administration. McCormick noted that during the Biden years, hundreds of people on the U.S. terror watch list crossed into the nation.
Many of them are loose in our country, McCormick said. He credited the current administration with successfully closing the border and called for removing violent criminals from the country.
In a September 2024 House Homeland Security subcommittee hearing, Chairman August Pfluger, R-Texas, presented data showing 382 people whose names appear on the terror watch list were stopped trying to cross the U.S.-Mexico border illegally between ports of entry from fiscal year 2021 to fiscal year 2024. This compared to just 11 individuals apprehended from fiscal year 2017 to fiscal year 2020.
Patel criticized Democrats who vote against funding DHS, saying every missed paycheck at the department creates opportunities for criminals to take advantage of a system that should be easily fixed.
What the Numbers Show
According to data presented at a September 2024 House Homeland Security subcommittee hearing, terror watchlist apprehensions at the southern border increased significantly between the Trump and Biden administrations.
From fiscal year 2017 to fiscal year 2020, 11 individuals on the terror watch list were apprehended trying to cross illegally between ports of entry. From fiscal year 2021 to fiscal year 2024, that number rose to 382.
The DHS funding partial shutdown has lasted 49 days as of Friday, affecting more than 200,000 DHS workers including TSA agents and other personnel, according to reports.
The Norfolk shooting involved Mohamed Jalloh, a naturalized U.S. citizen convicted of supporting ISIS in 2017 who was released before completing his sentence. The Michigan synagogue attack involved Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, who federal investigators said was radicalized by Iran-backed Hezbollah.
The Bottom Line
The debate over terror threats and border security continues as Congress debates DHS funding. Patel and McCormick point to recent attacks as evidence that foreign-linked terrorism poses an increasing threat, while Democrats have prioritized addressing domestic extremism and have blocked some funding measures.
What to watch: Whether Congress reaches a consensus on DHS funding, how the Iran conflict affects domestic security assessments, and whether the Trump administration designates foreign terrorist organizations as a higher priority than the Biden-era focus on White supremacy.