FBI Director Christopher Wray spoke to a Senate Panel on Monday, March 11, 2024, about the problems of illegal immigration. With the election looming, the issue of immigration has taken center stage, giving Joe Biden a hard time. At the congressional hearing, Wray warned of a “wide array” of dangerous threats from the US border.
According to the FBI Director, these threats include drug trafficking, violent gangs, and smugglers with ties to ISIS. During the Senate Intelligence Committee hearing, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) asked Wray about the threats at the border.
Rubio also asked about the Tren de Aragua gang from Venezuela. Wray said he couldn’t speak to a specific gang. However, the FBI Director noted that dangerous individuals were entering via the southern border. “We have had dangerous individuals entering the United States from a variety of sources,” he said at the congressional hearing.
“From an FBI perspective, we are seeing a wide array of very dangerous threats that emanate from the border,” Wray added. “The FBI alone seized enough fentanyl in the last two years to kill 270 million people.”
ALSO READ: FBI Steps Up Hunt for Iranian Agents Who Allegedly Targeted Trump Admin Officials
“An awful lot of the violent crime in the United States is at the hands of gangs,” Wray continued. “Who are also involved in the distribution of that fentanyl.” Before Wray’s testimony, officials have warned about the presence of gangs, including Tren De Aragua.
According to Fox News, the brother of the suspect in the killing of Georgia student Laken Riley has ties to the gang. Also, both the suspect and his brother are Venezuelans who entered the US Illegally. Wray and other intelligence agency heads testify annually to a Senate panel to detail threats the US faces.
POLL—Should the U.S. Government Create a Path to Citizenship for Undocumented Immigrants?
Hence, CIA Director William Burns, Defense Intelligence Agency Director Jeffery Kruse, NSA Director Timothy Haugh, and others testified. The agency leaders testified to the panel about imminent threats. During his testimony, Wray said there is “no doubt” criminals have entered the United States at the southern border.
However, he noted there is no specific plot. “There is a particular network that has ISIS ties that we’re very concerned about,” Wray said. “And we’ve been spending enormous amounts of effort with our partners investigating.” He said that threats from various groups have reached a “whole other level.”
Afterward, Rubio asked Wray to confirm that there’s a network “we’re concerned about” that has facilitators with ties to ISIS. “Correct,” Wray said. During the hearing, the panel asked the intelligence chiefs about the threat from China and the conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine.
ALSO READ: FBI Says Hate Crime Is on the Rise in the US
The panel also asked how artificial intelligence could influence the US 2024 election. CIA Director Burns spoke about the US support for Ukraine against Russia. He said it has the “very real possibility of cementing strategic success for Ukraine.”
He said not providing that support would have widespread consequences. “Without supplemental assistance, it seems to me that there lies a much grimmer future,” Burns said. “Ukraine is likely to lose significant ground in 2024.”
You Might Also Like:
Dana Carvey Pulls Impression of Biden Changing Tune on Border Crisis
Lance Bass Speaks on Fatherhood, Aging, Says He Needs to Stop Pretending He’s 21
President Biden Signs $460 Billion Bill to Stop a Partial Government Shutdown
Pete Buttigieg Blasts Katie Britt for Using Sex Abuse Victim Story To Attack Biden’s SOTU
Authorities Arrest Florida Pastor Who Sexually Assaulted a 15-Year-Old After Spiking Her Drink