November 4, 2025
🧠 BLUF
In the last few years, the U.S. has logged millions of border encounters and at least 1.7 million known “gotaways”—people seen but not caught.
In FY 2023 alone, DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas admitted over 600,000 gotaways, confirming that a massive population has entered with no full vetting.
Claims about “73,000 special interest aliens” and “6,000 illegal immigrants on the terror watchlist getting Social Security numbers” are circulating online, but those exact figures and details have not been confirmed in public DHS or SSA releases.
The real risk is the gap between what is admitted and what is unknown—and how influencers weaponize that gap with numbers that outpace the public data.
Keep reading below …
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📡 CONTEXT
A viral post from COMMAND ELEVEN (@commandeleven) claimed that in FY 2023 the U.S. had 7.5 million illegal crossings, 1.7 million gotaways, 73,000 “special interest aliens” from Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, and Lebanon, and at least 6,000 illegal immigrants on a terrorism watchlist who were issued Social Security Numbers. Some of those numbers line up partially with official documents; others go beyond what’s been released. The challenge: separate confirmed border workload and national-security risk from unverified—and possibly inflated—claims.
⚠️ THREAT PROFILE
What the data actually shows—and where the fog starts:
7.5 million encounters & 1.7 million known gotaways (since Jan 2021):
The House Homeland Security Committee fact sheet states that since Biden took office, there have been 7.5 million encounters nationwide and 1.7 million known gotaways—a mix of Border Patrol apprehensions and people detected but not caught.Over 600,000 gotaways in FY 2023 alone (confirmed):
In October 2023 testimony, Secretary Mayorkas acknowledged that known gotaways in FY 2023 were “over 600,000.” That is a hard admission of a huge, unvetted inflow.Special Interest Aliens (SIAs):
“Special interest aliens” are individuals from countries flagged as posing heightened national-security or terrorism concerns. Congressional documents and letters indicate tens of thousands of SIAs encountered at the border since FY 2021, and at least 73,000 SIAs referenced in recent testimony—but this number is not limited publicly to Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, and Lebanon alone.Terror watchlist screening is real – but the 6,000/SSN claim is not verified:
DHS uses the Terrorist Screening Dataset (TSDB)—the U.S. government’s consolidated terror watchlist—for screening foreign nationals and encounters, via DHS watchlist services and TECS checks.
However, the specific claim that “6,000 illegal immigrants on a terror watchlist got Social Security Numbers” does not appear in any publicly available DHS, CBP, or SSA data releases at this time. It remains an assertion, not confirmed fact.“The government is hiding the real numbers” – partially supported concern, not proven conspiracy:
Congressional hearings and watchdog reports have criticized DHS for limited transparency on SIAs and gotaways, including the lack of routinely published SIA totals.
That justifies skepticism and demands for clarity, but it doesn’t automatically validate every big number posted on social media.
STAND WITH THE MISSION…
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🧍♂️ FOR EVERYDAY AMERICANS — PRACTICAL STEPS
Know the real stats, not just the tweets: When you see massive border numbers, cross-check with CBP stats and House/Senate fact sheets before you share them.
Understand what “gotaways” means: These are people observed but not caught—and DHS admits there are hundreds of thousands per year, which is serious enough without adding unverified multipliers.
Watch for number inflation: When posts combine true labels (SIAs, TSDB, SSN) with unverified counts, treat them as claims, not facts, until they match official releases or sworn testimony.
Push for transparency, not panic: Call or email representatives asking for full public SIA, TSDB-match, and gotaway reporting, and plain-language explanations of screening failures.
Prepare locally, not just nationally: Border chaos can ripple into drug trafficking, human smuggling, and local crime. Strengthen church security, neighborhood watch, and comms plans the same way you would for any other long-term threat.
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👮♂️ FOR BUSINESSES & COMMUNITY LEADERS — PUBLIC-SAFE ACTIONS
Information posture: Make sure internal briefings reflect verified numbers and clear risk framing—don’t let staff be whipped around by every viral thread.
Layered security: Houses of worship, schools, and critical local businesses should keep access control, camera coverage, and visitor protocols tightened as a baseline, not just after a scare.
Local intel sharing: Encourage sheriffs, pastors, and business owners to share suspicious patterns (ID fraud, human-smuggling indicators, unusual cash activity) through established channels, not social media.
Support rule-of-law rhetoric: Publicly reinforce that border failure is a policy and enforcement problem, not a license for vigilantism or targeting entire communities.
🛰️ WHAT TO WATCH — OPERATIONAL INDICATORS
New DHS/CBP data dumps on nationwide encounters, gotaways, and TSDB hits.
Congressional hearings or letters pressing DHS on SIA and TSDB-match counts (particularly when numbers like “73,000 SIAs” show up in testimony).
Inspector General / GAO reports flagging breakdowns in border screening, database access, or identity vetting.
Shifts in DHS messaging: sudden changes in how SIAs, gotaways, or TSDB hits are described or categorized in public-facing documents.
👮♂️ FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT — PUBLIC-SAFE REMINDERS
Treat gotaways as a real, not theoretical, risk: You don’t know who they are or what they’re carrying. Adjust local threat assessments accordingly, especially in transit corridors.
Clarify SIA and TSDB definitions internally: Make sure officers understand that “special interest alien” is a country-of-origin risk flag, not proof of terrorism; TSDB “encounter” also does not always equal “known terrorist.”
Coordinate with fusion centers: Push for timely SIA and TSDB-match briefings that are specific to your region, not just national-level talking points.
Guard against politicized intel: Keep operational planning tied to sworn testimony, official stats, and vetted intel reports, not just partisan graphics and viral claim threads.
INFORMATION IS SURVIVAL…
Free subscribers get the headlines. Guardians get the intel – private Signal channels, emergency alerts, and direct access to our team. When things go bad, which one do you want your family and friends to be?
🧠 SDN ANALYSIS — JON WHEATON
Here’s the bottom line: the official numbers alone are bad enough—millions of encounters, at least 1.7 million known gotaways, tens of thousands of SIAs, and terror-watchlist hits at the border. We don’t need to inflate the threat to recognize that this is a national-security failure. But when influencers start tossing out unverified numbers, they give the political class an easy out: “See, that’s all conspiracy talk.” Don’t hand them that gift. Anchor your outrage in what’s on the record, demand the numbers they won’t release, and keep your church, your town, and your family prepared for the downstream effects.
GodSpeed
Jon Wheaton
