White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was grilled on Tuesday about an explosive CNN report that was published earlier in the day about someone connected to ISIS allegedly helping to smuggle more than a dozen Uzbek illegal immigrants into the U.S.
“The episode was so alarming that an urgent classified intelligence report was circulated to President Joe Biden’s top Cabinet officials in their morning briefing book,” the report said. “For some counterterrorism officials, it shows that the US is deeply vulnerable to the possibility that terrorists could sneak across the southern border by hiding amid the surge of migrants entering the country in search of asylum.”
Jean-Pierre was asked during the White House press briefing how it was possible that someone connected to ISIS was helping to smuggle people into the U.S.
“So, I just want to make sure that folks who are watching understand the question. So, I just want to be really clear here,” she said. “So, the intelligence alerted us to a human smuggling network. We moved fast and — and successfully to — to — successfully to disrupt it. So, just want to be very clear of that.”
“So, let’s be very clear about that,” she added. “And we are grateful — we were very grateful to the law enforcement for their quick work and their vigilance on this.”
She claimed that there was “no sign” that anyone smuggled into the U.S. had connections to terrorist organizations.
“And what we were able to do as precaution: People brought here by smuggling network are being subject to extra vetting and are all in removal proceedings,” she said. “And in addition to that — in addition to that — anyone coming across the border outside of the network who matches the profile of those in the smuggling network is subject to extra vetting, detained, and put in expedited removal proceedings as well.”
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WATCH:
"How's it possible that an ISIS sympathizer is sneaking people into this country?"
JEAN-PIERRE: "We moved fast and successfully to disrupt it"
"Are you saying you know where all of the people this ISIS sympathizer snuck into the country are?"
JEAN-PIERRE: Well… pic.twitter.com/blpY3XGBlp
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) August 29, 2023