Kirstjen Nielsen’s illogical tweetstorm about terrorists at the border

By Aaron Blake
January 8 at 9:59 AM

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Whatever legitimate concern there might be about terrorists entering the United States across a porous border, it has been distorted beyond recognition.

Enter Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen to try to salvage the talking point.

In a brief tweetstorm and accompanying “MYTH/FACT” sheet Monday night, Nielsen argued that this is a very real issue. But her argument was full of logical holes, and the fact sheet appears to have been hastily assembled.

Let’s walk through it.

First off, it’s worth noting the context. Nielsen was responding to an NBC News report that found, in the first half of 2018, just six foreigners detained at the border had names on a list of known or suspected terrorists. It’s worth noting that this list is broad, and most people who are detained are not the actual known or suspected terrorists. For example, 35 U.S. citizens were also stopped at the border because their names matched the list.

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