A Lebanese illegal immigrant who confessed to being part of the Hezbollah terror group network is set to be deported a year after being apprehended and released into the country during former President Joe Biden’s tenure.
Basel Bassel Ebbadi, 22, was apprehended by border agents in El Paso, Texas, on March 9, 2024, and immediately placed in federal custody. He reportedly informed investigators that he intended to travel to New York and construct a bomb, and that his training with the Iran-backed terror network focused on “jihad” and “killing non-Muslim people.”
Ebbadi apparently expressed a desire to leave the group because he “did not want to cause harm to people,” though he mentioned that “once you’re in, you can never leave.”
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Basel Bassel Ebbadi, 22, allegedly confessed to belonging to Hezbollah when caught illegally entering the United States. (CBP)
Regardless, Ebbadi was isolated and referred to the Tactical Terrorism Response Team (TTRT) after allegedly making threats to personnel.
“If an individual poses a potential threat to national security or public safety, we deny admission, detain, remove, or refer them to other federal agencies for further vetting, investigation, and/or prosecution as appropriate,” a U.S. Customs and Border Patrol spokesperson informed Fox News Digital at the time.
After illegally crossing into the United States, Ebbadi was found guilty of illegal entry and sentenced to five months in federal prison on April 26, the New York Post reported.
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Under the Biden administration, border authorities released 400 suspected terrorists crossing into the U.S. illegally through the southern border. (PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)
He was eventually ordered deported by an immigration judge on Jan. 13 after completing his sentence. Upon entering the U.S., he claimed his documents were stolen somewhere in Costa Rica.
During the Biden administration, border authorities released 400 suspected terrorists who crossed into the U.S. illegally through the southern border, according to the Post. In January 2024, ICE apprehended a member of the Somali al-Shabaab terrorist group.
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The individual, who was not identified, entered the U.S. illegally before being apprehended and released by border authorities in California. The person lived freely for nearly a year before being arrested in Minnesota.
Among the measures implemented to fortify the border, the Trump administration has ceased the catch-and-release policy that allowed countless illegal immigrants into the country under Biden’s administration.
