An Afghan migrant, who is on the terrorist watchlist, was taken into custody crossing the southern border and released by authorities last year, NBC News reported.
The network, attributing the information to U.S. officials, said Mohammad Kharwin, 48, was taken into custody again in February and released last month by an immigration judge, who was not informed of the security risk.
Kharwin had been ordered free on bond pending a 2025 immigration hearing in Texas. No restrictions were placed on his movements inside the U.S.
After NBC News posted its story on Kharwin's last release, he was taken into custody again on Thursday night. No further details of his latest apprehension were released.
He originally was taken into custody on March 10, 2023, near San Ysidro, California, after crossing the border illegally.
At the time, he was suspected of being on the watchlist because a piece of information matched a person on the list, according to NBC News.
But agents did not have corroborating information.
He was released without notifying Immigration and Customs Enforcement about his possible ties to terrorism, officials told NBC News. He was required to check in regularly by phone with an ICE office and was able to apply for asylum and work authorization.
The FBI maintains the terrorist watchlist, which includes the identities of 1.8 million people considered security risks.
NBC News noted that the list indicates he is a member of Hezb-e-Islami (HIG), which is a political and paramilitary group.
HIG is describe ed as a "virulently anti-Western insurgent group" that sought to overturn the Western-backed Afghan government before its fall in 2021.
"At the time of the initial encounter, the information in the record could not have provided a conclusive match," a spokesperson for Homeland Security said. "As soon as there was information to suggest that this individual was of concern, he was taken into custody by ICE. Law enforcement has been tracking the matter closely to protect against public safety risks."
The FBI alerted ICE in February – nearly a year after his release near the border – that Kharwin had potential terrorist links.
He was arrested in San Antonio on Feb. 28. But government prosecutors said he should be detained because he was a flight risk. They did not say he was a national security risk.
He was released on March 30, without a restrictions. The Justice Department declined to identify the judge in the case, or respond to a request for comment.
The New York Post said CBP statistics reveal border patrol agents encountered 370 migrants on the terror watchlist who illegally crossed between ports of entry since 2017.
Jeffrey Rodack ✉
Jeffrey Rodack, who has nearly a half century in news as a senior editor and city editor for national and local publications, has covered politics for Newsmax for nearly seven years.
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