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FACT BRIEF

Have more than 100 people on the terrorist watchlist tried to enter the US during the Biden administration?

By Tom Kertscher
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YES

Since President Joe Biden took office, more than 200 non-U.S. citizens on the federal terrorist watchlist tried to enter the U.S. between legal ports of entry and were stopped by Border Patrol.

Here are the Border Patrol encounters with people on the watchlist, according to the latest figures:

Fiscal 2023 (Oct. 1, 2022-Sept. 30, 2023): 154

Fiscal 2022 (Oct. 1, 2021-Sept. 30, 2022): 98

Fiscal 2021 (Oct. 1, 2020-Sept. 30, 2021): 16

Biden succeeded Donald Trump as president on Jan. 20, 2021.

The watchlist contains known or suspected terrorists and individuals “who represent a potential threat.”

Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, who represents most of northern Wisconsin, referred to watchlist encounters in an interview Oct. 17, 2023.

He proposed legislation in response to the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel that would prohibit anyone with a passport issued by the Palestinian Authority from entering the U.S.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
AP News Posts misrepresent border encounters with people on terror watchlist
US Customs and Border Protection CBP Enforcement Statistics Fiscal Year 2023
Rep. Tom Tiffany Rep. Tom Tiffany Explains to Newsmax Why the GAZA Act is so Important
New York Times Here’s a timeline of Saturday’s attacks and Israel’s retaliation.
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Wisconsin Watch, the news arm of the nonpartisan, nonprofit Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, increases the quality and quantity of investigative reporting in Wisconsin, while training current and future investigative journalists. Its work fosters an informed citizenry and strengthens democracy.
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Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.