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How many people on the terrorist watchlist are coming into the United States?

Published

1 year ago

June 13, 2024

Maria Ramirez Uribe
| PolitiFact.com

Some Republican lawmakers are flagging Hamas’ attack on Israel as an example of why more security is needed at the southern U.S. border. Hamas militants breached a border fence and attacked Israeli villages bordering the Gaza Strip on Oct. 7.

“Potential terrorists are attempting to cross our southern border. In September alone, 18 illegal immigrants on the terror watchlist were caught at the border,” U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., posted Oct. 21 on X, formerly Twitter. “The attack on Israel should serve as a warning as to why we must secure the border.”

The next day, U.S. Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., also mentioned the terrorist watchlist on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

“We just caught 18 people, just last month, on the FBI terrorist watchlist, coming across our border,” McCarthy said. “More than 160 have done it this year.”

U.S. immigration officials have encountered rising numbers of people on the watchlist. But not everyone on the list is a terrorist, and not everyone encountered is allowed to enter the country.

Terrorism and immigration experts say the threat of attacks in the U.S. and Israel are not comparable.

“People aren’t crossing the border to conduct terrorist attacks or take over parts of the United States,” David Bier, an immigration expert at the libertarian Cato Institute, previously told PolitiFact. “A very small percentage may come to commit ordinary crimes, like selling drugs, but overwhelmingly, they are coming for economic opportunity and freedom.”

McCarthy’s office did not respond to our request for more information. A Blackburn spokesperson pointed us to a Fox News reporter’s post on X. Customs and Border Protection did not confirm whether 18 people were stopped in September.

Here’s what we know about who is on the terrorist watchlist, and what the data can and can’t tell us:

What is the terrorist watchlist and who is on it?

The terrorist watchlist, run by the FBI’s Terrorist Screening Center, is a federal database of people who are either known or suspected terrorists.

“Known terrorists” include people who have been charged, arrested, indicted or convicted of a terrorism-related crime or who belong to a foreign terrorist organization.

“Suspected terrorists” are people who are “reasonably suspected to be” involved in terrorist activities.

U.S. government agencies nominate people to the terrorist watchlist, and those names are vetted by the National Counterterrorism Center or the FBI.

For years, civil liberty groups have cited concerns about the nomination process and its lack of transparency. People are not told they are on the watchlist and are not privy to the evidence that landed them on it. The standard for being included, “reasonable suspicion,” allows intelligence analysts to rely on rational inferences, not jus facts, when deciding if someone has ties to terrorism, the Congressional Research Service wrote in a 2016 report.

Most encounters with people on watchlist happen at northern border

U.S. Customs and Border Protection releases the number of times immigration officials encounter a known or suspected terrorist each fiscal year. While there is a lot of information the government doesn’t disclose, such as the nationality of people apprehended, the available data do not support the impression of routine terrorist crossings at the southern border.

Most of the 736 encounters in fiscal year 2023 (which ended Sept. 30) happened at the northern border at official checkpoints (484 in total). There were 80 encounters at official checkpoints at the southern border.

Encounters between ports of entry along the southern border were higher in 2023 (169) than in 2022 (98) and 2021 (15).

But CBP says it’s “very uncommon” for border authorities to encounter people on the terrorist watchlist. At the southern border between ports of entry in 2023, for example, such encounters represented 0.0083% of all the 2 million encounters.

What the numbers don’t say

Data on encounters represent events, not people. If one person tries to come in three times in a year and is stopped each time, that counts as three encounters.

Additionally, border officials can deny entry to people on the terrorist watchlist. An encounter does not equal an entry into the country.

A Customs and Border Protection spokesperson told PolitiFact the agency vets everyone who is encountered. People who pose a threat to national security or public safety are denied admission, detained, removed or referred to other federal agencies for possible prosecution.

It means “that potential terrorists are not getting through but rather are being detected,” even when they try crossing between official ports of entry, said Denise Gilman, immigration clinic co-director at the University of Texas School of Law.

People on the list are “subject to extremely high scrutiny and are almost certainly detained indefinitely by CBP while they determine what to do with them,” said Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, policy director for the American Immigration Council, an immigrants’ rights group. “They are not just waved on through.”

Even if people on the watchlist were allowed into the country to apply for asylum or any sort of immigration protection, they would be sent to immigration detention while a judge hears their case, said Adam Isacson, defense oversight director at the Washington Office on Latin America, a research and human rights advocacy group.

Flaws in watchlist data make it a bad indicator of threat

Some people on the watchlist have not been deemed terrorists by the U.S. government, but they might be affiliated with people, such as family members, who are known or suspected terrorists, according to CBP.

Additionally, some people on the list might be affiliated with a designated foreign terrorist organization that does not pose a threat to the U.S., such as inactive domestic guerrilla groups, said Alex Nowrasteh, the Cato Institute’s vice president for economic and social policy studies.

Nowrasteh recently testified to Congress that none of the people involved in U.S. terrorist attacks from 1975 to 2022 had crossed the southern border illegally.

The federal government’s encounters data can include false positives of matches on the terrorist watchlist, such as people who were added to the watchlist because they share the same name or birthdate as someone listed.

A ‘false analogy’

Experts dismissed the idea that Hamas’ attack on Israel is in any way analogous to U.S. border security concerns.

There isn’t a terrorist movement in Mexico, Central America or South America that targets the U.S. or compares with Hamas targeting Israel, Nowrasteh said. Hamas’ charter calls for the destruction of Israel.

Ernesto Castañeda-Tinoco, director of American University’s Center for Latin American and Latino Studies, said, “There is no evidence of members of Hamas in Mexico preparing attacks on the U.S. The geopolitical situation at the U.S.-Mexico border is different from the one between Israel and Palestine.”

Jason M. Blazakis, director of Middlebury College’s Center on Terrorism, Extremism, and Counterterrorism, said the comparison was a “false analogy.”

“The vast majority of people who are at the southern border are trying to escape criminal gangs and drug trafficking organization violence,” he said.

Our sources

PolitiFact, Hamas militants ‘pouring’ across U.S. southern border? Donald Trump’s claim is Pants on Fire!, Oct. 12, 2023
NBC News, Full McCarthy: I don’t need the speakership ‘title. I’m going to help in any way I can’, Oct. 22, 2023
X, post, Oct. 21, 2023
Congressional Research Service, The Terrorist Screening Database: Background Information, June 17, 2016
FBI, Frequently Asked Questions, April 11, 2016
U.S. State Department, Foreign Terrorist Organizations, accessed Oct. 24, 2023
U.S. Customs and Border Protection, CBP Enforcement Statistics Fiscal Year 2023, accessed Oct. 24, 2023
Cato Institute, Terrorist Entry Through the Southwest Border, Sept. 13, 2023
CBS News, Are terrorists trying to enter the U.S. through the southern border? Here are the facts., Oct. 11, 2023
Fox News, Iranian illegal immigrant caught at border not on terror watchlist after further vetting: DHS official, Feb. 1, 2023
Council on Foreign Relations, What Is Hamas?, Oct. 9, 2023
U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Threat Assessment 2024, September 2023
Legal Information Institute, inference, accessed Oct. 26, 2023
Legal Information Institute, reasonable suspicion, accessed Oct. 26, 2023
FBI, Terrorist Screening Center, accessed Oct. 26, 2023
The Washington Post, The FBI’s terrorism watch list violates the Constitution, federal judge says, Sept. 5, 2019
American Civil Liberties Union, Discriminatory Profiling, accessed Oct. 26, 2023
X, Post, Oct. 21, 2023
Email exchange, Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, policy director for the American Immigration Council, Sept. 19, 2023
Email exchange, Adam Isacson, Director for Defense Oversight at the Washington Office on Latin America, Sept. 19, 2023
Email exchange, Denise Gilman, co-director of the immigration clinic at the University of Texas School of Law, Oct. 25, 2023
Email exchange, Stephen Yale-Loehr, professor of immigration law at Cornell Law School, Oct. 25, 2023
Email exchange, Ernesto Castañeda, director for the Center for Latin American and Latino Studies at American University, Oct. 25, 2023
Email exchange, spokesperson for Sen. Marsha Blackburn, Oct. 25, 2023
Email exchange, U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesperson, Oct. 25, 2023

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Dallas, TX

Dallas County adult probation director out of role amid state audit

Published

4 hours ago

December 12, 2025

Press Room

Dallas County adult probation director out of role amid state audit

Dallas County adult probation director Arnold Patrick “has transitioned out of his role” leading the department, according to an email his deputy sent to employees Friday.

The criminal district and county court judges who oversee the Community Supervision and Corrections Department director declined to comment on the nature of Patrick’s departure. Christina O’Neil, chief counsel for the judiciary, told The Dallas Morning News matters involving employees “are confidential and not subject to public dissemination.”

But Patrick’s departure comes as the department remains under a state investigation prompted by reporting from The News in October that uncovered how Patrick paid his state advocacy association colleague $45,100 in a contract to vet vendors despite the consultant acknowledging in an email he did not complete the work.

The audit by the Texas Board of Criminal Justice’s Office of Internal Auditor is still in process, according to director of communications Amanda Hernandez.

Patrick did not respond to a phone call or text message seeking comment. Marta Kang, deputy director of the adult probation department, is serving as acting director, according to the email she sent employees Friday.

“Please know that my focus will remain on collaboration, communication and ensuring we have what we need to succeed,” Kang wrote.

In January 2023, Patrick hired Austin-area lobbyist Eric Knustrom to screen and handle vendors doing business with the probation department while the two were also working together in a state advocacy association they created the year prior, emails obtained by The News show.

During the year of Knustrom’s contract with the probation department, he missed deadlines and did not perform core duties of the agreement, according to his December 2023 termination letter. Knustrom failed to review vendor applications, provide status updates or share outcomes of client complaints, the letter states.

Records show the probation department issued Knustrom five checks totaling $45,100 in 2023.

By early 2024, Knustrom had cashed only $12,300 worth of the checks.

In May 2024, five months after his contract ended, Patrick asked Knustrom if he was going to redeem the outstanding payments, emails show. Knustrom responded by acknowledging he did not perform all the work he was contracted to do and needed to make up for it.

“I’d like to cash the checks (bc I’m poor) but I want to come up with a statement of work that will allow me to provide actual services of actual value equal to that compensation for Dallas County. Sound fair?” Knustrom wrote.

Patrick encouraged him to cash the checks, even if the work performed wasn’t up to standards. He said the outstanding checks were causing an issue for the county.

“Cash them and then issue the statement before you spend it if that will work,” Patrick wrote. “If not, I need to cancel them.”

Knustrom declined to comment on Friday. In a previous interview, Knustrom said the work he performed was not “my A-game,” but he still fulfilled his duties by reviewing the department’s procurement process and creating a system to receive vendor complaints.

Patrick said in a previous interview that Knustrom performed work even though it wasn’t up to either of their standards.

Knustrom’s contract called for him to submit monthly invoices detailing the number of hours worked and a list of assignments completed each month. None of the 11 monthly invoices for $4,100 that Knustrom submitted include any detail about the work he performed.

Knustrom said his delay in cashing the outstanding checks was an oversight. He said he received one payment of $4,100 in October 2023 via electronic deposit and deposited two checks totaling $8,200 in April 2024 into his personal bank account.

In summer 2024, Knustrom said he tried to make a larger deposit but had problems setting up a business account at a bank. Then he forgot about the money until earlier this year when he needed a down payment for a car, Knustrom said. By then, the checks were outdated, so the probation department voided them and issued a new check for $32,800 in May, Kevin Camacho, a county auditor supervisor, previously confirmed.

Patrick and Knustrom’s work together dates back at least to 2021, when Knustrom was a lobbyist for the Texas Probation Association, which represents many of the state’s 123 probation departments.

In 2022, Patrick and two other probation directors created a spinoff group, East Texas Community Supervision Alliance, with Knustrom as its registered agent.

While working for Dallas County in 2023, Knustrom provided pro bono assistance to the East Texas alliance during that year’s legislative session. Emails show Knustrom conducted analysis of a bill supported by the alliance that would have required probation departments to return less money to the state every two years.

Knustrom also emailed a staffer of state Rep. Joe Moody, D-El Paso, and unsuccessfully encouraged his office to back the bill. The bill later died in committee.

Knustrom said he did not register with the Texas Ethics Commission in 2023 to lobby for the alliance because the group did not pay him for his efforts and he did not meet with lawmakers on the alliance’s behalf. He said he was acting as a member of the group rather than its lobbyist.

By the 2025 legislative session, Knustrom was registered to officially lobby on behalf of the East Texas alliance but said the group still did not pay him.

At a legislative committee hearing on May 5, Knustrom registered on behalf of the alliance against a bill that passed and changed the approval process for probation departments’ budgets. Patrick was there and testified against the bill. The probation department issued Knustrom a replacement check for the stale 2023 payments the next week, the payment register shows.

Knustrom said while he was working with Patrick on the alliance’s issues, he also was trying to buy a new car and needed a down payment. That’s when he said he remembered his uncashed check from Dallas County’s probation department and asked Patrick to reissue the stale $32,800 payments from 2023.

Both Patrick and Knustrom previously said their work together with the East Texas Alliance was unrelated to Knustrom’s contract with Dallas County.

“One is not related to the other,” Patrick said, “but I acknowledge that it does look funny.”

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Miami, FL

The team behind a very popular NYC pizzeria is opening a new spot in Miami

Published

4 hours ago

December 12, 2025

Press Room

The team behind a very popular NYC pizzeria is opening a new spot in Miami

New York has never been shy about sending heavy hitters south for the winter and a new concept from the team behind Roberta’s—the cult-favorite Brooklyn pizzeria—just landed in North Beach. Ezio’s is the first new venture for the team, and it’s on track to be a hit.

Photograph: Brandon Harman

Roberta’s is a bona fide NYC institution. The hip pizzeria known for its wood-fired, blistered Neapolitan-style pies has earned nods from critics and diners alike as one of the best and most influential restaurants in America. Roberta’s has outposts in Nashville, Culver City and even Singapore.

Although the pizzeria is clearly no stranger to expansion, Ezio’s is an entirely new concept. It was introduced in 2024 as a pop-up inside the original Roberta’s in Bushwick, and now it will have a permanent location right here in Miami.

Ezio's food — Photograph: Brandon Harman

Opening December 19 on the ground floor of North Beach’s sleek new 72 Park tower, Ezio’s reimagines Italian hospitality through a Miami lens. Co-owners Brandon Hoy and chef Carlo Mirarchi (the latter naming the restaurant in tribute to his father) have traded pizza ovens for white tablecloths and upscale food.

A raw bar featuring locally-sourced seafood anchors the menu with stone crab claws and wild-caught fin fish crudo. Luxe starters include wagyu carpaccio with husk cherries and caviar and honey mango wrapped in prosciutto. House-made pastas include linguine cacio e pepe with winter truffle, and pappardelle with braised veal and parmigiano Reggiano.

But the showstopper is the custom dry-aging program, which includes a 55-day dry-aged Kansas City steak and a 90-day dry-aged bone-in wagyu strip. The lineup calls out for meals of celebratory excess.

The cocktail program is just as impressive, with tableside martinis customizable with caviar or oysters, of course. Signatures like the Honeydew Spritz and Alpine Italian Boulevard are bright but grown-up, while a 110-plus-label wine list covers Italy, France, Portugal, Argentina and California.

The setting is glamorous, with dark woods, velvet, burgundy banquettes and moody lighting. This isn’t the casual vibe of Roberta’s, but it’s set to be something just as buzzy, and North Beach is ready to welcome the team.

Read more:

• The best Christmas Markets in the USA

• The best ice skating rinks in the USA

• The most festive holiday restaurants in America

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Atlanta, GA

Want a rental for the World Cup in Atlanta? Demand up as much as 4000%

Published

5 hours ago

December 12, 2025

Press Room

Want a rental for the World Cup in Atlanta? Demand up as much as 4000%

Are you trying to find a short-term rental in Atlanta for the 2026 FIFA World Cup on match day?

The players on the field won’t be the only ones facing fierce competition.

In the days since the announcement of the group stage match-ups last week, demand for short term rentals in Atlanta has skyrocketed, reaching nearly a 5000% increase in some neighborhoods.

In a report published by AirDNA — a vacation rental analysis group that uses data from companies like Aibnb, VRBO and rental partners — researchers compared searches for short-term rentals in Atlanta in June and July 2025 to searches for the coming year during the same time period.

Here is what they found.

These Atlanta neighborhoods have highest demand

AirDNA found that in the city of Atlanta, the year-over-year change in demand for short term rentals for the dates of the group stage games increased 286% overall, as of Dec. 10.

For the round of 32 date, demand went up 351% from 2025 to 2026. During the round of 16, the demand was up 284%. The semi-final match led to an increase in demand of 213%.

For specific neighborhoods, the year-over-year increase in nightly demand for rentals was astronomical.

Here are the top 10:

Chosewood Park — 4450%
Buckhead — 2400%
Atlanta University Center/ Vine City — 1911%
Cabbagetown — 1833%
Edgewood — 1638%
Ben Hill — 1200%
Bankhead — 1141%
Grant Park — 1044%
Downtown Atlanta — 1034%
North Druid Hills — 900%

More than 30 other neighborhoods and cities in the greater Atlanta metro area saw increases in nightly demand by more than 200%.

Only six areas — Doraville, Brookhaven/North Buckhead, Douglasville, Powder Springs, Vinnings and Chamblee — saw a decrease in nightly demand for match days compared to 2025.

Rentals for night before also in high demand

When AirDNA compared demand for the night before a match versus the night after, the demand was similar if not higher in some cases.

The demand for rentals on June 14, the day before the first group stage match, is the same for demand on June 15 when the match is actually played, the data shows.

On June 20, however, demand for a rental in Atlanta overall is higher than on June 21, the day of the third group stage match.

Overall demand in Atlanta stays high once the World Cup begins, with some slower breaks in between the later tournament matches.

Can I still get World Cup tickets for Atlanta matches?

The Random Selection Draw period is on now for specific match tickets. Spectators hoping to see a specific match can request to enter the drawing through the FIFA ticketing website.

Tickets are also available for some of the more elaborate World Cup experiences, as well as through packages from Qatar Airlines. Tickets will open for resale on Dec. 15.

Irene Wright is the Atlanta Connect reporter with USA Today’s Deep South Connect team. Find her on X @IreneEWright or email her at ismith@usatodayco.com.

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