A California Congressman is backtracking on claims he made on national cable television earlier in the week that as many as ten ISIS fighters crossed the border into Texas from Mexico.
NBC 7 asked U.S. Rep. Duncan Hunter R-50th District about his statements Friday at an event in El Cjaon.
When he talked about the presence of ISIS fighters on the Texas border Hunter said he should have chosen his wording more carefully. Hunter said he shouldn't have said ISIS.
“I should have said terrorist affiliated military aged males coming across the border,” Hunter said.
Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said there is no credible evidence to support Hunter's claims that ISIS fighters were apprehended or attempted to enter the U.S. along its border with Mexico.
Hunter said four people from Turkey had ties to the terrorist organization PKK, providing a letter he sent to the Ambassador of Mexico.
The letter shows DHS numbers that more than 250,000 people from countries other than South America were caught at the southwest border. Included in that group were 13 people from Syria and 30 people from Pakistan, the letter stated.
Given what is happening at the border when it comes to people who enter without being caught, Hunter said he doesn't trust or have confidence in DHS.
U.S. & World
[[278861871 , C]]
“This comes from guys on the ground that actually see what is happening on the border itself. That is different than what the administration tells us is the truth and frankly I don't believe them because I know otherwise,” Hunter said.
Hunter's opponent for the 50th District seat Democrat James Kimble is retired from the Navy and said he takes national security seriously.
He accused Hunter of trying to drum up fear.
“Certainly if there were ten members of ISIS crossing over the border into Texas from Mexico there would have been an alert message that would have gone out to all the border cities,” Kimber said. “They would have known about it here. But Mr. Hunter would have everybody believe that, in his words or his staff's words, the right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing."
Johnson assured Americans the border is not “porous.” He said four people detained for unlawful entry were members of a Kurdish Workers Party fighting against ISIS. He said the detainees will be deported.
