As directed by the order, the Secretary of State, Secretary of the Treasury, Secretary of Homeland Security, and Gabbard were tasked with taking necessary actions to enforce it.
On February 6, Secretary of State Marco Rubio formalized the FTO designation, which officially went into effect on February 20, according to The Center Square.
Gabbard emphasized that in addition to implementing the order, the NCTC is working to improve federal vetting processes: “We are also working to ensure those who enter our country are vetted through a single source, as well as those who already entered our country illegally.” She explained that this approach “will streamline processes to prevent terrorists from entering our country, determine who is already in our country, identify those posing a threat, and remove them.”
Trump’s directive came after the highest number of known or suspected terrorist (KST) apprehensions in U.S. history—1,903—were recorded during the Biden administration, The Center Square reported. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) data shows that 64% of those apprehensions, totaling 1,216 individuals, occurred at the northern border with Canada between fiscal years 2021 and 2024.
During the same period, a record 687 KSTs were apprehended at the southwest border, The Center Square reported.
