Thousands of Terrorists, Foreign Fighters Tried to Enter America, New Data Shows

The Department of Homeland Security stopped more than 22,000 “high-risk” travelers from entering the United States in 2015, but officials remain uncertain about how effective these security screening methods are, opening the possibility that risky individuals such as terrorists are still being approved for entry into America, according to a new government report highlighting these flaws.

More than 8,100 “known or suspected terrorists, or individuals with connections to known or suspected terrorists, attempted to apply for travel to the United States or board U.S.-bound flights” in 2015, according to the report, which chides U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) for failing to determine how effective its current screening methods are.

The report, authored by the Government Accountability Office, details potential flaws in CBP’s pre-flight screening methods and recommends the agency make a greater effort to measure the effectiveness of its pre-departure investigative process.

Officials noted that CBP’s process has become increasingly critical as a greater number of foreign terrorists and fighters attempt to fly into the United States and exploit security gaps in the agency’s methods.

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