A Lebanese migrant who was caught illegally crossing the border near El Paso said he “was going to try to make a bomb,” according to official documents.
Basel Bassel Ebbadi, 22, also admitted he was a member of Hezbollah when he was intercepted by agents on Texas’ southwest border with Mexico on March 9.
He was asked what he was doing in the United States while in detention, to which he replied: “I’m going to try to make a bomb” and he was on his way to New York.
Ebbadi said he trained with Hezbollah for seven years before taking on a role guarding weapons sites for another four years, according to ICE records seen by the New York Post.
It comes as a “migrant crime wave” sweeps the country thanks to hundreds of thousands of people crossing the border illegally every month, as tensions rise between Texas officials and the Biden administration over how to control it.
Basel Bassel Ebbadi, 22, admitted he was a member of Hezbollah when he was intercepted by agents on Texas’ southwest border with Mexico on March 9.
His arrest comes as a “wave of migrant crime” sweeps the country with hundreds of thousands of people crossing the border illegally each month.
In an aerial view, immigrants walk through spools of razor wire while crossing the U.S.-Mexico border on March 13.
Ebbadi said his training focused on “jihad” and killing people “who were not Muslims” – but he fled the country because he “didn’t want to kill people”.
“Once you’re in there, you can never get out,” he added, according to ICE logs.
The Lebanese national arrived in the United States without any documents. He said he lost his papers when he was robbed at knifepoint in Costa Rica.
Ebbadi said his training focused on “jihad” and killing people “who were not Muslims.”
He also admitted to providing a false date of birth and name to authorities.
Ebbadi was held in solitary confinement at the El Paso enhanced facility before being questioned by the Tactical Terrorism Response Team.
He was to be deported from the United States, but it is unclear to which country he would be taken.
Hezbollah is a Lebanese Shiite Islamist militant political party recognized by the West as a terrorist group.
Members of the group killed three American soldiers in Jordan at the end of January during a drone attack. At least 34 people were also injured in the strike.
The surge of migrants arriving at the southern border has continued through most of President Joe Biden’s term. This has led to millions of migrants flooding into the country and putting strain on cities.
America is expected to grapple with more than 8 million asylum seekers and migrants crossing the southern border by September.
This staggering figure represents an increase of 167 percent in five years and highlights the challenges facing what is both an underfunded and outdated immigration system.
The U.S. immigration system appears to be struggling to cope with the rapid number of migrants crossing the border, which reached a record high of 302,000 monthly crossings in December.
In an aerial view, immigrants cross the Rio Grande as they cross the U.S.-Mexico border to seek asylum on March 13.
America is expected to grapple with more than 8 million asylum seekers and migrants crossing the southern border by September.
Most of the 8 million people are now free to roam America’s streets, including 2 million “high priority” cases of career criminals seeking asylum.
The system appears to be struggling to cope with the rapid number of migrants crossing the border, which reached a record high of 302,000 monthly crossings in December.
The backlog has left millions of migrants currently residing in the United States uncertain about whether they will be allowed to stay or simply be deported.
Migrants crossing the border are often forced to wait several years before a decision is made on their application. In the meantime, they were released onto American streets.
Recent data suggests the backlog has only increased during President Joe Biden’s term, partly reflecting his administration’s difficulties in dealing with the unprecedented influx of migrants, mostly from America Central and South America.
As of the end of fiscal 2023 on September 30, more than 6 million people were listed on what officials call the “non-detained persons registry.”
Government projections, as reported in Homeland Security documents sent to Congress, suggest that number will have increased to 8 million by October 1.
This number includes people who have been ordered deported or are still awaiting a final decision on their asylum or immigration case.
The majority of them are not held in limited available detention space and are free to move around.
In total, some 2,045,838 people crossed the U.S. southern border illegally last year, according to CBP figures.
These numbers are expected to rise further this year – as the northern border with Canada also experiences an unprecedented crisis.
Illegal crossings from Canada to the United States increased by 500% to 10,021 last year compared to 2022.
In total, some 2,045,838 people crossed the U.S. southern border illegally last year, according to CBP figures.
Tensions have been growing for months between state and federal authorities, amid an increase in the number of recorded illegal crossings, which reached a record high of 301,983 in December.
Immigration has become a flashpoint in the upcoming election, with Biden and Trump making competing visits to the border on the same day.
Last month, Texas troopers began arresting migrants crossing the border for criminal trespassing before they could turn themselves in to U.S. Border Patrol agents and seek asylum.
The White House has asked the Supreme Court to overturn an injunction preventing it from removing razor wire on the banks of the Rio Grande, which poses a “risk to human life.”
The Justice Department said the Shelby Park blockade left its view of the border “limited to a narrow sliver from a single surveillance camera located outside the newly fenced area.”
It also claims state authorities denied the Border Patrol access to a boat ramp and staging area previously used to inspect apprehended migrants.
“Border Patrol agents in a vehicle towing a boat to launch it at the boat ramp requested access to Shelby Park, but the Texas National Guard refused to allow them to ‘access the area,’ they wrote in the latest filing.
“Border Patrol agents also requested access to the transit area and the Texas National Guard refused.”
A spokesperson for the Texas Military Department told ABC News the move was intended to “restrict access to organizations that perpetuate illegal immigrant crossings in the park and the greater Eagle Pass area.”