Migrant on terror watchlist arrested illegally crossing Texas border prior to Biden, Trump visits: sources
An individual on the terror watchlist was apprehended illegally crossing the Texas border last month, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) sources confirmed to Fox News.
Carlos Obed Yepez-Bedoya, 40, was caught by Texas Department of Public Safety agents on Feb. 21 crossing near Eagle Pass.
Customs and Border Protection sources confirmed to Fox News Digital that the Colombian national is registered on the FBI's terror watchlist.
CBP sources told Fox News Digital that Yepez-Bedoya was a "positive match" on the terror watchlist but did not name the terror organization.
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Migrants wait to be processed by Border Patrol after they crossed the Rio Grande and entered the U.S. from Mexico in Eagle Pass, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)
The arrest was made just days before President Biden and former President Donald Trump arrived in the Lone Star State to survey the ongoing illegal immigration crisis. Trump visited Eagle Pass, and Biden traveled to Brownsville.
"This underscores the need for border security measures as potential threats to both public safety and national security are evident and exploit security vulnerabilities," Texas DPS Lt. Chris Olivarez told the New York Post.
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A badge for Customs and Border Protection on an officer's sleeve. (Getty Images)
Olivarez continued, "The federal government has failed to enact border security measures, and the state of Texas, through Gov. Abbott’s Operation Lone Star, will continue to take unprecedented action to help secure the border."
Biden, during his visit to the southern border on Thursday, renewed his calls for Republicans to back a bipartisan Senate border agreement – as illegal immigration continues to be a major political headache for the administration and he seeks to shift blame to Republicans for the crisis.
"It's real simple, it's time to act, it is long past time to act," the president said. "It's time for us to move on this, we can't wait any longer."
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Former President Trump speaks during a visit to Eagle Pass, Texas, on Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024, with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
The visit, which coincided with Trump's visit to the border in Eagle Pass, Texas, comes as illegal immigration has become a major 2024 election issue and remains a thorny issue for the administration. Polls show that more than half of Americans think large numbers of illegal immigrants entering the U.S. represent a critical threat to the country.
The crisis, now into its third year, has smashed multiple records with more than 2.4 million encounters in FY 23 and over 300,000 in December alone – breaking the record for monthly encounters.
Trump declared the Mexican border a "war zone" under Biden, lamenting the lack of cooperation from Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and ripping Democratic governors of border states as the migrant deluge pivots to their lands.
Fox News' Adam Shaw and Charles Creitz contributed to this report.
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