CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WBOY) — After eight people with suspected ties to the Islamic State (ISIS) were apprehended last week, a group of senators wants answers about why they were vetted and released into the United States through the southern border.

Nexstar’s The Hill reported on the arrests, which took place in New York, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles, last week, saying that at the time the individuals crossed the border, there was no indication of their ties to the Islamic State, but they were being monitored by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force.

Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R, WV) is one of 20 senators who sent a letter to U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas addressing their concerns, including reports that a wiretap shows that one of the people arrested “was talking about bombs” and that “the target of the wiretap was previously released by federal authorities at the southern border with a court date of next year.”

The senators said the number of border encounters with individuals on the terrorist watchlist has “skyrocketed” in recent years, with 11 noncitizens on the watchlist caught attempting to enter the United States from fiscal year 2017 to fiscal year 2020, compared to 15 in FY 2021, 98 in FY 2022, 169 in FY 2023, and 80 as of May 15 FY 2024.

The letter says that reportedly, two of those with suspected terrorist ties crossed the border in the spring of 2023, and one of them used the CBP One app to enter the U.S.

The senators asked Mayorkas to share the following information with them or their offices by June 25, 2024:

The names and identities of the arrested individuals.

The locations, dates and purposes for which they entered the United States.

Whether or not they claimed asylum, and if so, the status of their asylum claim.

Details about the vetting process for them and whether or not their release into the United States was an accident.

Whether or not the arrested individuals are members of ISIS or another terrorist organization.

Whether or not they are part of a broader network inside the U.S.

Whether or not they were planning a terrorist attack or preparing for a terrorist attack.

Whether or not they had weapons, explosives or other dangerous items.