Quantico town held a fireworks show on May 25, 2024, to celebrate Memorial Day. Read More
By Bethany Blankley
(The Center Square) – Multiple members of Congress are demanding answers about the federal government’s ability to prevent a terrorist attack after two Jordanian nationals attempted to break into Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia.
This is after concerns were raised about a Chinese national who recently breached a Marine Corps base in the El Centro CBP Sector after illegally entering the country, and after individuals identified as known or suspected terrorists (KSTs) are continuing to be apprehended at record numbers after illegally entering the country, The Center Square reported.
U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, led a group of 12 Republican members of Congress demanding answers from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Federal Bureau of Investigation about the Quantico breach, questioning if it constituted a terrorist attack. The letter was announced Tuesday and is dated May 23.
“A brazen attempt to infiltrate a military installation by foreign nationals from a terror-prone region rightly raises concerns as to whether this constituted a possible terrorist attack,” the House coalition said in a letter to DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and FBI Director Christopher Wray. “Yet, the federal government has not disclosed whether this breach was terror-related.”
On May 3, two Jordanian male nationals attempted to breach a Marine Corps base using a box truck. They were eventually detained and turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. It was later revealed that one illegally crossed the border last month and was released into the interior by Border Patrol agents. The other overstayed his student visa and was in the country illegally. One was identified as a KST.
“The American people deserve to know the scope of the threat posed by potential terror suspects and the extent to which the open border policies of this administration are facilitating it,” the coalition said.
Joining Roy are Republican Reps. Andy Biggs and Paul Gosar of Arizona, Josh Brecheen of Oklahoma, Andrew Clyde of Georgia, Matt Gaetz of Florida, Bob Good of Virginia, Mary Miller of Illinois, Barry Moore of Alabama, Ralph Norman of South Carolina, Andy Ogles of Tennessee, Tom Tiffany of Wisconsin, and Randy Weber of Texas.
Last week, a coalition of 12 U.S. senators demanded answers, led by U.S. Sen. Ted Budd, R-N.C., of Mayorkas and Wray.
“This deeply concerning incident occurred mere weeks after a Chinese national who was in the country illegally broke into Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms on March 27,” they said.
House Committee on Homeland Security Chairman Mark Green, R-Tenn., and three other Republican committee chairmen also demanded answers from Mayorkas, Wray and Department of Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. The committee is investigating the incident, they said, and is concerned about previous requests that remain unanswered.
In September 2023, Green and Subcommittee on Counterterrorism, Law Enforcement, and Intelligence Chairman August Pfluger, R-Texas, sent a letter to Mayorkas, Wray, and Austin requesting information about how the agencies were responding to possible breaches of U.S. military installations and critical infrastructure from the Chinese Communist Party. According to Wall Street Journal report, Chinese nationals attempted to access U.S. military bases and other sensitive sites roughly 100 times in recent years.
DHS and the FBI “failed to provide any substantive response” to their request, they said.
In a November 2023 hearing, Mayorkas “repeatedly refused to answer when asked by Chairman Pfluger whether DHS continuously detains those found to be on the terrorist watchlist,” they said.
The greatest number of KSTs have been apprehended by CBP and Border Patrol agents under the Biden administration, The Center Square has reported. This fiscal year, they total 277, after the greatest number in U.S. history was apprehended in fiscal 2023 of 736, The Center Square reported.
“The alarming conclusion from these numbers is every day we have individuals that are on the FBI terrorist watch list that could have an intention to harm our country and are entering every single day,” former Border Patrol Chief Mark Morgan told The Center Square. “It’s not if or when the threat tries to come to our country. We already know that’s happening already. The threat is already here,” he said, referring to the at least two million foreign nationals who illegally entered the country and evaded capture, some of whom may be KSTs.
The attempted breach at MCB Quantico “reflects a possibly more dire reality for the state of U.S. national security,” Green’s coalition said.
DHS’s “relaxed vetting standards” have created “an environment ripe for exploitation by individuals aiming to undermine the United States at its most critical points. If individuals on the terrorist watchlist are so emboldened to attempt to breach a Marine Corps base, the Department of Homeland Security and the entire executive branch must act swiftly to identify, apprehend, and detain such hostile actors on American soil.”
Two Jordanian nationals were known to federal authorities before they attempted to breach security at Quantico Marine Corps Base.
The first unidentified man was admitted into the U.S. on a student visa on September 11, 2022, which expired 18 weeks later, on January 14, 2023. The second man crossed the U.S. from Mexico to California six weeks ago, on April 8, 2024. The next day, the U.S. Border Patrol issued a notice to appear before an immigration judge and, later that day, released the man into the U.S.
Just 24 days later, on May 3, 2024, ICE agents detained both men after military police at Quantico’s main gate on Fuller Road said the driver of a box truck ignored commands to wait patiently on the side of the road while they worked to identify the two men inside the truck, who did not have ID. Instead, the driver hit the gas and collided with a hydraulic barricade, known on base as a vehicle denier. This metal contraption rises from the street to prevent unauthorized entry into the critical military installation 37 miles south of the nation’s capital. No one was injured.
The two men have not been identified, and both remain in ICE custody awaiting the outcome of their removal proceedings, according to a May 24 statement from ICE, which adds, “ICE has no information that would suggest either noncitizen is associated with any organization that would pose a public safety or national security threat.”
Multiple sources told Potomac Local News at least one of the men is on a terror watch list, which is maintained by the FBI, an agency that has not made a statement about the security breach. Its prestigious training academy sits on Quantico Marine Corps Base.
ICE’s statement comes one day after Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin appeared on Fox News demanding the Biden Administration provide him with a full briefing on the events that occurred on May 3. In a letter to the president, Youngkin expressed his frustration with federal authorities, who he said kept him and the public in the dark following the attempted security breach.
“The White House, ICE, nor the military police have yet to disclose any public information on the names of those involved in the breach, if they were in the country illegally, or if they are on the terrorism watch list. While revealing the names of those involved could interfere with deportation proceedings, Virginia’s Public Safety and Homeland Security leadership and I deserve to know the nature of the threats occurring in our backyard,” he wrote.
Youngkin also demanded the contents of the box truck driven by the two men who used to ram the gate. The federal government has yet to say what was inside the car, though multiple sources tell Potomac Local News the truck contained boxes with no weapons. The would-be intruders posed as Amazon employees and told the gate sentry they were headed to the Quantico town post office to make a delivery. It’s not known if the two men worked for Amazon.
In September 2023, The U.S. House Subcommittee on Immigration, Integrity, Security and Enforcement held a hearing on terrorist entry through the U.S. Southwest border. During the proceeding, Rep. Tom McClintock (R-California) said of the nearly 6 million immigrants who have illegally crossed the border since Biden has been president, 146 were found to have been on the terror watch list, while 1.7 million evaded Border Patrol and are considered “got-aways.”
“Why would 1.7 million illegal aliens want to invade the Border Patrol? The only two reasons I can think of are that they are either hiding criminal records or they are conducting criminal acts,” McClintock said during the hearing.
The May 3, 2024, incident at Quantico follows several other similar incidents at military bases across the U.S. and the White House, where foreign nationals have used vehicles to ram the front gates. Just two days before the run on the Quantico gate, a driver was killed after he attempted to breach security gate at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story near Virginia Beach and collided with a hydraulic barricade.
Two days after Quantico, a driver slammed into a security gate at The White House and was killed after his car exploded.
On March 27, a Chinese national was killed after he rammed the gate at Twentynine Palms, near San Bernardino, California. On April 5, three people inside a car were injured after the vehicle rammed the gate at San Diego Naval Base. One sailor manning the entrance also suffered injuries that did not appear to be life-threatening.
Federal authorities have not released the names of anyone involved in these incidents.
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We're getting a clearer picture of the two men inside a box truck used by two illegal immigrants to ram the main gate at Quantico Marine Corps Base.
Sources tell Potomac Local that the box truck that rammed the gate at Quantico Marine Corps Base contained only boxes and miscellaneous items—no weapons.
Federal officials have been tight-lipped about the contents of the truck and the two men, Jordanian nationals, who were turned over to federal immigration authorities shortly after the May 3, 2024, incident.
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The Marine Corps Heritage Foundation (MCHF) announces that the last remaining USMC Mounted Color Guard will appear at the National Museum of the Marine Corps on May 23 and 24. Visitors will have the opportunity to meet the Mounted Color Guard and watch live demonstrations. This event is a rare occurrence for the west coast-based Mounted Color Guard.
The Mounted Color Guard’s origin dates back to 1911 during the Chinese Revolution when the Mounted Detachment, known as the “Horse Marines,” was the Marine Corps’ only designated cavalry unit. This elite unit, stationed in China, was tasked with maintaining contact with American citizens in Peking, conducting census, patrols, and delivering dispatches.
The visit coincides with MCHF’s annual tradition of placing flags in Semper Fidelis Memorial Park for Memorial Day to honor fallen Marines. The event will take place on May 23 from 3 to 6 p.m. and on May 24 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the National Museum of the Marine Corps, located at 1775 Semper Fidelis Way, Triangle.
Established in 1979, the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to preserving and promoting Marine Corps history. The Foundation supports the historical programs of the Marine Corps in ways not possible through government funds.
This incident has raised concerns among local officials and the public about the transparency and handling of security matters at the base. The lack of immediate disclosure has led to demands for answers and accountability from the authorities involved.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) released a statement on May 16 confirming that two Jordanian nationals were turned over to ICE custody. However, ICE did not respond to the request to confirm whether one or both men were on the Terrorism Watch list or address the contents of the box truck.
Captain James Covington, ICE spokesman, confirmed: “On May 3, 2024, Marine Corps Base Quantico’s Criminal Investigations Division arrested two Jordanian noncitizens for trespassing. Marine Corps Base authorities notified the ICE Eastern Regional Office (ERO) in Washington, D.C., of the apprehensions. Deportation officers from ERO Washington, D.C.’s Criminal Apprehension Program responded and arrested both individuals without incident. Both individuals will remain in ERO custody pending removal proceedings.”Â
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Elected officials are questioning why Quantico Marine Corps Base didn't tell the public about an attempted security breach at its main gate on May 3, 2024.
After pressing base officials, seven days after the incident, Potomac Local News broke the news of an early-morning incident in which two men driving a box truck approached the base's main gate on Fuller Road outside Dumfries. They claimed to be Amazon contractors making a delivery to the base's post office. Despite lacking proper credentials, they attempted to access the base.
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With an eye toward future political aspirations, Representative Abigail Spanberger (D) of Virginia’s 7th Congressional District is set to host a telephone town hall on Thursday, May 16, from 7:30 pm to 8:30 pm.
The town hall, a staple of political engagement for elected officials, comes following a security breach at Quantico Marine Corps Base, located within her district boundaries. On May 3, two men inside a box truck, claiming to work for Amazon, tried to run the gate and were stopped by military police, and turned over to ICE.
Spanberger did not respond to a request for comment following the incident.
Sources tell Potomac Local one of the men is on a U.S. terrorist watch list, and had crossed the southern border into the country just days before the incident. No one one was injured at Quantico. However, it comes after multiple, similar, deadly incidents at the White House and at other military installations in Virginia and California.
Spanberger, currently serving her second term in Congress, announced earlier this year that she would not seek reelection to Congress. Instead, she has set her sights on the Virginia Governor’s mansion, with plans to run in the upcoming 2025 gubernatorial race.
Spanberger did not respond to a request for comment following the incident. On April 9, 2024, Potomac Local pressed Spanberger on whether or not, if elected governor in 2025, she would use the Virginia National Guard to assist Texas in securing the southern border. In response, she said the border is a federal issue, not a state issue, blamed House Republicans for not working with the president on his plan to secure the border, said “I’m working on it,” and jumped into an SUV and left the area.
In her announcement regarding the telephone town hall, Spanberger expressed her anticipation to engage with constituents, stating, “I look forward to hearing from you, answering your questions, and sharing updates about my work for Virginia.”
The telephone town hall offers multiple avenues for engagement for those interested in participating. Participants can dial in directly to the event at 833-380-0670 to listen live or pose questions directly to the congresswoman.
Additionally, for those preferring to watch the conversation unfold visually, Spanberger has provided online streaming options. The event can be viewed live at spanberger.house.gov/live or via her Facebook page.
