Eight people from Tajikistan who crossed into the US from Mexico have been arrested because of suspected links to ISIS, law enforcement sources tell CNN and other outlets. The sources say arrests on immigration charges were made by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Los Angeles, New York, and Philadelphia. According to one of CNN's sources, the group had been on the radar of the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force for more than a month but officials recently decided to use ICE's authority to kick them out of the country instead of waiting for signs of a possible terror plot.
Sources tell CBS News that the suspects were vetted by law enforcement when they entered the US and no links to extremists were detected. A senior Department of Homeland Security official says the suspects crossed without proper documents and were released with notices to appear in immigration court. The sources say the federal investigation began after a wiretap raised concerns. According to CNN's sources, some of the suspects espoused "concerning extremist rhetoric" but investigators do not believe the suspects were sent to the US to carry out an attack.
"Over the last few days, ICE agents arrested several non-citizens pursuant to immigration authorities," the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI said in a joint statement Tuesday, per NBC News. "The actions were carried out in close coordination with the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Forces. The individuals arrested are detained in ICE custody pending removal proceedings." (More Immigration and Customs Enforcement stories.)
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