Fox News reporter Bill Melugin filed a Freedom of Information Act request that sought the nationalities of individuals on the terrorist watchlist who entered the United States illegally. No more identifying information such as their names or location were requested; nonetheless, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) responded that the right to ‘privacy’ of the migrants on the watchlist outweighs the public’s right to know.
The denial of the request occurred on the same day that at least one illegal immigrant reportedly on the terror watchlist was apprehended while attempting to infiltrate the Quantico Marine Corps base in Virginia, reports Just The News.
“The privacy interests of the individuals in the records you have requested outweigh any minimal public interest in disclosure of the information,” the department told Melugin in a letter, he wrote in a post on X. “Any private interest you may have in that information does not factor into the aforementioned balancing test.”
Melugin pushed back on the rejection in a post to social media on Thursday, defending his request for the information and claiming that most of the rejection had nothing to do with what he was asking for. He also vowed to appeal the decision.
“I did not ask for any names, IDs, addresses, anything that would breach privacy, nor did I ask for any law enforcement sensitive information,” Melugin said. “I simply requested *only* the nationalities of people arrested on the list, so the public can have an understanding of where in the world they are coming from.”
Just The News adds that the border crisis and influx of illegal migrants has resulted in at least 736 known or suspected terrorists being released into the country in fiscal year 2023. In this fiscal year, at least 210 known or suspected terrorists have been apprehended and then released into the country as of March 22.
NEW: 6+ months ago, I filed a FOIA request w/ CBP seeking the nationalities of people on the terror watchlist arrested by Border Patrol in recent years. CBP now says they will not turn over that data, citing privacy & law enforcement sensitivity exemptions, telling me:
“The… pic.twitter.com/iMBbiTnmn1
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) May 16, 2024
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Author: Sara Carter Staff
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