Joe Biden's Worst Nightmare Comes True at the Border

It's been confirmed that an Afghan national on the U.S. terror watch list was apprehended while illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border in California on Wednesday, one day before Title 42 officially expired on May 11 at 11:59 p.m. ET time. The arrest was confirmed to Fox News by several sources in the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), who did not reveal the identity of the individual on the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) terror watch list.

According to the same sources, the Afghan national was arrested while crossing with a group of migrants near Otay Mesa, in California. The Afghan national was taken to a processing station, where a fingerprint scan found a match with an individual on the Terrorist Screening Database.

Border authorities informed the FBI of the finding, which was confirmed by the agency. Federal investigators then opened an investigation into the incident. Newsweek has contacted the CBP for comment by email.

In a statement to Newsweek, the FBI said: "The FBI has no comment on your specific inquiry. We are vigilant in our efforts to detect and assess possible threats and we work closely with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to keep our communities safe."

Republicans who have been critical of the Biden administration's border policy, and the president's decision to let Title 42 expire, are already capitalizing on the arrest. The argument that lifting Title 42 could attract terrorists as well as an increased number of migrants has been a common talking point for Republicans accusing the Biden administration of mishandling the situation at the border.

Republican congressman Darrell Issa of California, who represents the district where the Afghan national was arrested, told Fox News that "Biden's open borders aren't just a gateway to five million illegals, record human and child trafficking and the deadliest drug crisis in our history.

"Biden's reckless policy is also an open invitation to even the most wanted terrorists in the world to come to America. They know they'll never have to leave. The nation knows what's going on and this president has only begun to be held accountable for what he has done."

In a tweet published on Sunday, Issa wrote: "I can confirm that a wanted terrorist crossed our open border in the San Diego region just days ago — even if the Biden Administration won't."

Newsweek has contacted the White House for comment by email.

But while this feared scenario might have occurred, other concerns voiced by Republicans have until now failed to materialize.

The expected surge in the number of migrants crossing the border in the immediate aftermath of the end of Title 42—the pandemic-era law that allowed U.S. authorities to immediately expel most migrants entering U.S. land borders—has yet to happen.

While a growing number of migrants did cross the border in the run-up to Title 42's expiration, with a record 11,000 individuals having been apprehended by border officials last week, the numbers have dwindled during the weekend. As reported by Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Sunday, agents apprehended 6,300 migrants on Friday and 4,200 on Saturday.

Republican officials in Southern states, including Texas Governor Greg Abbott, have warned for months against the potential chaos following the end of Title 42, saying the termination of the measure could be seen as encouragement for migrants to cross into the U.S.

Update 5/15/23, 6:10 a.m. ET: This article was updated to include a statement from the FBI.