Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson late Wednesday dismissed a suggestion by Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) that fighters with the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) had crossed the southern border into the United States.
{mosads}Hunter said in an interview with Fox News on Tuesday that “at least 10 ISIS fighters have been caught coming across the Mexican border in Texas.”
“We have no specific, credible intelligence to that effect,” Johnson told CNN, however, noting security officials remain “vigilant.”
“We have no specific intelligence that ISIL is plotting to come into the homeland through our southern border, but we’re constantly on the lookout,” Johnson added, using an alternate acronym for the group.
Hunter said his comments were based on talks with Border Patrol officials, saying, “There’s nobody talking about it” publicly and that, “if you really want to protect Americans from ISIS, you secure the southern border.”
Without naming Hunter, Johnson reprimanded the House Armed Services Committee member, saying, “What I’d say to public officials is, we need to be responsible in what we say — passing on speculation, rumor — to not unduly cause fear and anxiety in the American public.”
Johnson said he would “encourage” other public officials to distinguish between trying to “inform” and “frighten” the public.
“I would encourage all of us to be responsible in what we decide to share with the American public,” he said.
Government watchdog group Judicial Watch reported Wednesday that federal and local authorities in Texas had captured four ISIS fighters in less than two days.