President Joe Biden’s self-inflicted border crisis took a turn for the worse last week when U.S. officials apprehended an Afghan national who is on the U.S. terrorist watchlist.

According to Fox News, sources said the Afghan national entered the United States by crossing the border with a group of migrants near Otay Mesa, California. Upon their arrival, Border Patrol agents conducted routine processing, including a fingerprint scan, which revealed that the individual was a match on the Terrorist Screening Database. Subsequently, the FBI was alerted, verified the results, and then initiated an investigation.

The individual who was arrested crossed the border one day before the expiration of Title 42, a COVID-19 emergency policy that permitted border agents to reject migrants. Following the expiration of the policy, thousands of migrants have flooded the U.S.-Mexico border, Fox News added.

Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), the lawmaker who represents the district where the Afghan national was apprehended, said that Biden’s border policies, which he implemented on his first day in office and which Republicans say triggered a two-year record influx of illegal immigration, attract terrorists.

Advertisement

“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,” Issa said. “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,” Issa added.

The administration’s plan to quickly process and release migrants after Title 42 expired was set to take effect on Friday, however, but it was put on hold by a federal judge.

As reported by Fox News, Judge T. Kent Wetherell II, a Trump appointee, put in place a two-week restraining order on President Joe Biden’s policy, which would see migrants released on “parole with conditions.”

A recently issued Border Patrol memo outlined a policy stating that migrants can be granted entry into the country on parole, a process usually reserved for cases involving urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit, in instances where Customs and Border Protection (CBP) encounters overcrowding, the outlet reported. Referred to as “parole with conditions,” this practice necessitates that migrants schedule an appointment with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or request a Notice to Appear by mail.

“Under a parole release, migrants are rapidly released into the country, do not get an alien registration number and do not receive a court date,” Fox News noted.

Biden’s job approval ratings have been steadily falling in the wake of his announcement last month that he would seek another term, making his reelection path even narrower. But new concerns over issues like the country’s spiraling debt as well as political debates over raising the debt ceiling, are beginning to take their toll on his presidency as well.

According to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll published on Monday, most Americans are concerned about the debt ceiling but they differ on how best to handle the issue.

“The polls show neither Democratic President Joe Biden nor congressional Republicans hold a clear advantage in public opinion as they head into discussions on Tuesday to resolve a months-long standoff over the nation’s $31.4 trillion debt limit,” Reuters reported.

“The Treasury says it could run out of money to pay the country’s bills as soon as June 1 unless Congress increases the borrowing cap. Economists say the resulting default would roil global financial markets and plunge the U.S. into recession,” the report added.

Advertisement

According to the poll, a significant majority of Americans, 76%, believe that it is crucial for the two sides to reach a deal on the matter, expressing concerns that a default would place additional financial strain on families, including their own. The sentiment was shared by 84 percent of self-described Democrats and 77 percent of self-described Republicans.