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Border agents detained three Palestinian migrants who illegally crossed the southern border after they were found to have possible ties to terrorist organizations earlier this month, according to sources.
One of the migrants had “salacious photos” on their phone — including a picture of a masked man holding an AK-47 rifle, federal law enforcement sources said.
In addition to the three Palestinians, federal authorities caught one migrant from Turkey who was also suspected of having ties to terror groups.
The migrants were part a group of dozens of migrants who turned themselves into border agents at the San Diego sector, said sources.
An investigation into the migrants is ongoing, sources said. The group was transferred to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force is investigating their cases.
It’s the latest example of potential security threats entering the US via the southern border — especially at San Diego.
Overwhelmed Border Patrol agents tell The Post that they do not have the tools to fully vet the migrants who are coming in from all over the world — particularly into the San Diego area.
Mostly, they are only able to use US terror watchlists and other American resources to help determine which migrants could be a terror threat. Border agents do not have access to terror or criminal databases from other countries.
“Knowing who these guys are, we have, like, no access to anything international. Like, we really don’t and it kind of sucks,” said one border agent, who spoke anonymous because they were not authorized to give public statements.
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“I wanted to get into Border Patrol and protect from terrorists. And it’s like, well, I probably let terrorists in the country.”
A Customs and Border Protection spokesperson didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
It’s unclear which terrorist organization the migrants were allegedly affiliated with.
However, border agents in the San Diego sector were warned to be on the lookout for individuals tied to Palestinian terrorist groups after the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attack on Israel.
“San Diego Field Office Intelligence Unit assesses that individuals inspired by, or reacting to the current Israel-Hamas conflict may attempt travel to or from the area of hostilities in the Middle East via circuitous transit across the Southwest border,” the previous alert read.
“Foreign fighters motivated by ideology or mercenary soldiers of fortune may attempt to obfuscate travel to or from the US to or from countries in the Middle East through Mexico,” the memo adds, before listing the patches of Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Hezbollah.