A former Biden administration official reacted to a shocking revelation on “NBC Nightly News” on Thursday. Former Immigration and Customs Enforcement Chief of Staff Jason Houser commented on a report that officials released a suspect on the nation’s terror watchlist into the U.S.
Houser called this alarming incident “very, very rare” before adding “it’s not acceptable for any terrorist or anyone linked to terrorism to try to come into the U.S.”
He responded to NBC News Homeland Security Correspondent Julie Ainsley asserting the case was “one of at least three incidents in the past two years involving suspected terrorists being released by Customs and Border Protection.”
🚨 BREAKING — NBC NEWS: The Biden administration RELEASED a member of an Afghan terror organization, whose name was on the terror watch list, into the U.S. after he ILLEGALLY crossed the border — then tried to cover it up.pic.twitter.com/TMPo4q6mcK
— Proud Elephant 🇺🇸🦅 (@ProudElephantUS) April 12, 2024
Ainsley credited this disturbing revelation to the DHS Inspector General and Congress.
She showed a video of Houser declaring that “any terrorist or terrorist-linked individual trying to come into this country is unacceptable.” Ainsley said that the outlet questioned the former official about how a terrorist group member could simply be released into the U.S.
NBC News reported that the Afghan migrant spent almost a year in the country after his arrest and subsequent release by Border Patrol agents in 2023.
The terror suspect was identified as 48-year-old Mohammad Kharwin. He was arrested again in March but then released by an immigration judge who did not know he was a security threat.
Kharwin is currently out on bond with no restrictions on traveling within the U.S. His immigration hearing is not scheduled until next year.
According to officials, Border Patrol agents suspected the Afghan national was on the terror watchlist. However, they did not have corroborating evidence, whatever that may be, which led to his release into the country.
Kharwin was processed and his biometric data taken, and he was set loose into the U.S. He was then able to apply for asylum and work authorization despite being on the national terror watchlist.
The FBI believes he is a member of Hezb-e-Islami (HIG), a group designated by Washington as a terrorist organization. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence described HIG as a “virulently anti-Western insurgent group.”
It is believed to be responsible for the deaths of at least nine U.S. soldiers and civilians in Afghanistan.
