A retired San Diego Border Patrol Chief, Aaron Heitke, has accused the Biden-Harris administration of deliberately suppressing information about a significant spike in border crossers with ties to terrorism.
During a testimony before the U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security, Heitke revealed that the administration instructed him not to disclose the alarming rise in the number of “Significant Interest Aliens” (SIAs) apprehended in the San Diego sector.
“We had an exponential increase in Significant Interest Aliens with significant ties to terrorism,” Heitke testified. Before the Biden-Harris administration, the San Diego sector typically saw 10 to 15 SIAs per year. However, following the administration’s changes to border policies, the sector saw over 100 SIAs in 2022, a trend that continued into 2023 and beyond.
Heitke also highlighted a critical point: these numbers represent only those who were caught. The real figures could be much higher due to the large number of “gotaways” — individuals who crossed the border illegally without being apprehended.
According to Heitke, the Biden-Harris administration actively prevented the public from learning about these developments. “I was told I could not release any information on this increase in SIAs or mention any of the arrests,” he said.
The testimony comes at a time when the number of individuals on the U.S. federal terrorist watch list apprehended at the border has reached its highest levels under the Biden-Harris administration.
From fiscal year 2021 through August, 1,856 individuals with ties to terrorism have been apprehended, as reported by The Center Square.
Heitke criticized the administration’s “open border policies,” which he said had exacerbated the situation.
“The only true consequence we have to slow down and discourage people from coming to the United States illegally is sending them back to their country of origin,” Heitke said.
However, under the current administration, he testified that this policy was largely abandoned, leading to fewer countries accepting repatriation and a sharp reduction in detention space.
For the first time in his 25-year career, Heitke said, the ability to return people to their home countries had significantly lapsed, with Border Patrol agents either forced to detain illegal entrants or release them into the United States.
The former chief’s claims come amid a broader debate about border security. Republicans have consistently pointed to the rollback of Trump-era policies as a major factor behind the surge in illegal crossings.
Heitke testified that the situation had become so overwhelming that Border Patrol agents were often diverted from their regular duties to process large groups of illegal immigrants, leaving large swaths of the border unmonitored.
Heitke’s testimony also touched on the strain this has placed on national security, as transnational criminal organizations exploited the lack of Border Patrol agents in the field to smuggle drugs, including the deadly opioid fentanyl.
In response to a question by U.S. Rep. Anthony D’Esposito (R-NY), about what information the Border Patrol had on the millions of “gotaways” who entered the country, Heitke responded bluntly: “None.”
Meanwhile, Democrats defended the administration’s handling of border security.
Bennie Thompson (D-MS), ranking member of the committee, argued that recent moves by the Biden administration had succeeded in reducing border encounters.
Thompson stated that border encounters had dropped by 55% since a June 2023 proclamation by President Biden, and the number of encounters was at its lowest since September 2020.
Despite these claims, Heitke’s testimony has fueled Republican criticisms of the Biden-Harris administration’s border policies, which they argue have made the country less secure.
With immigration expected to be a major issue in the 2024 elections, the debate over the handling of the U.S.-Mexico border is far from over.