Rep. Gonzales: Panama Intercepts 52 Migrants on Terrorist Watch List En Route to U.S.

On a recent episode of the “Real America” podcast, released on October 18th, U.S. Representative Tony Gonzales of Texas recounted a conversation with Panama’s Foreign Minister, Erika Mouynes, about the unending surge of migration stemming from Central and South America.

According to the conversation, the Central American nation of Panama has intercepted 52 people on international terrorist watch lists who were en route to the southern border. According to the Congressman, Ms. Mouynes added that over 100,000 migrants were heading through Panama at the time en route to the U.S.

According to the Foreign Minister, Panama screens all migrants encountered on their way to the United States; when Rep. Gonzales asked if any of the screenings turned up potential terrorists, he recalled her response:

She goes, ‘Funny you ask that Tony because in Panama we do biometrics and we have apprehended 52 people that have been — that are associated with al Qaeda.’

Representative Gonzales recounted asking Ms. Mouynes if she or her office had reached out to the Biden Administration to warn them of the national security threats, he recalled her response:

She goes, ‘There’s no one home. I’m here talking to you because the administration is just absent.’

Ms. Mouynes made news last month when she contradicted the Biden Administration, who claimed they were “caught off guard” by the surge of Haitian migrants who camped in Del Rio, Texas. Mouynes expressed frustration to Axios over the administration flat-out ignoring Panama’s early warnings of the impending crisis; she stated: “we sounded the alarm when we should have.”

In April, Customs and Border Enforcement announced that they had apprehended two Yemeni aliens on terrorist watch lists who illegally crossed the southern border through February and March.

Since then, the CBP report has been removed from the agency’s website. In a statement, the agency said the news release “was not properly reviewed” and disclosed “national security information that had to be erased,” as reported by The Washington Times.

President Biden’s former Chief of Border Patrol, Rodney Scott, who served the position throughout the summer before being pushed out by the administration, told Fox News that the terror threat at the border is real. “They exist, and they want to come across that border,” he stated.

For the complete story, please visit The Washington Times.