FBI Director Christopher Wray says the agency is “increasingly concerned” about the possibility of terrorists coming into the country through the Southwestern border and coordinating a foreign terrorist attack on American soil. 

During Mr. Wray’s testimony before Congress Wednesday — in which he largely fielded questions related to the assassination attempt against President Trump — the FBI director also spoke on the threat at the American-Mexican border. 

“I am increasingly concerned that foreign terrorists could seek to exploit vulnerabilities at our Southwest border or at other ports of entry or in other aspects of our immigration system to facilitate an attack here in the United States,” he said before the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday. “I think that is something we have to be concerned about.”

Over the past couple of years, he added, the number of terrorist encounters along the border “has increased.” Mr. Wray notes that this “should be of concern” and that it doesn’t take many foreign terrorist crossings to become a “real problem.” 

He said that the agency is not only paying attention to the possibility of a “foreign terrorist inspired attack” but also to a potential “coordinated foreign terrorist attack.” He then cited the terrorist attack on a concert hall in Russia back in March which killed at least 137 people. 

Mr. Wray’s warning echoes statements he’s made in recent months in regards to increasing terror threats from Russia, Communist China, and North Korea. He has told Congress previously that the threat has increased even further since the October 7 attacks in Israel and the subsequent war at Gaza.

It also comes as the American public has become increasingly concerned with the situation at the Mexico border, with immigration consistently ranking as one of the top-of-mind issues for voters in the coming election.