Colorado terror attack exposes ‘national security threat’ posed by immigrant visa overstays: former FBI agent

A erstwhile FBI cause says the fig of radical who overstay their visa successful the U.S. is simply a "national information issue" pursuing the panic onslaught successful Boulder, Colorado that near 15 radical injured.

Mohamed Sabry Soliman, who's suspected of firebombing a radical of peaceful pro-Israel protesters connected June 1 leaving 15 radical injured, arrived successful the United States connected Aug. 27, 2022 connected a B1/B2 non-immigrant visa, sources told Fox News. His visa was acceptable to extremity connected Feb. 26, 2023, but helium received enactment authorization. Soliman is an Egyptian national.

Soliman's enactment authorization ended successful March 2025, astir 3 months earlier helium allegedly attacked the radical of pro-Israel protesters. 

A report from the Department of Homeland Security shows astir 400,000 individuals were suspected to person overstayed their visas successful fiscal twelvemonth 2023, the astir caller twelvemonth there's authorities information connected the issue. These are individuals who lawfully obtained a visa to participate the United States, but didn't permission erstwhile they were expected to.

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Passengers walk done the TSA checkpoint astatine the Miami International Airport connected Dec. 17, 2024 successful Miami, Florida. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Former FBI peculiar cause Jonathan Gilliam told Fox News Digital visa overstays are a nationalist information issue.

"I deliberation we've shown that it's a nationalist information threat. We've shown conscionable by what we've seen successful Boulder, Colorado, but… there's galore different issues that person occurred successful this state by radical who person overstayed their visas, and I don't judge that radical recognize the numbers of these individuals," Gilliam said.

Between fiscal years 2020 and 2023, Department of Homeland Security information shows that implicit 1.5 cardinal radical person overstayed their visas.

Gilliam said the longer it takes for reforms to beryllium implemented to the visa system, the likelihood of different onslaught lone increases.

"All of this has to beryllium looked at, but conscionable looking astatine what happened successful Boulder, that could hap implicit and implicit again due to the fact that the strategy of monitoring radical who are present connected a visa is astir nonexistent erstwhile they get successful here," Gilliam said. "And if they're idealistic oregon if they get cultivated to judge successful a extremist way, there's thing stopping them."

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Mugshot of Soliman, 46, was charged with first-degree murder, crimes against at-risk adults/elderly, assault, transgression effort to perpetrate people 1 and people 2 felonies and usage of explosives oregon incendiary devices during a felony. (Boulder PD)

One happening Gilliam said should beryllium looked astatine is monitoring radical who are successful the U.S. connected visas, arsenic helium says determination are capable systems successful spot to way those individuals successful existent time.

"We person to travel up with amended ways to way them, radical who volition vouch for them. And if we person that successful place, on with policies that backmost the laws, it'll beryllium overmuch easier to find who is here, wherever they are, and if they've overstayed," helium said.

While Soliman was successful the United States connected a B1/B2 visa, helium obtained enactment authorization that allowed him to person jobs astatine Vero Health and Uber.

A spokesperson for Vero Health told Fox News Digital that Soliman worked astatine the institution for astir 3 months, but didn't explicate wherefore helium left.

"He was hired successful our accounting department. He went done a hiring process with ADP, our leader [Professional Employer Organization]. At the clip of hire, helium was confirmed to person a valid enactment visa, which was noted to expire successful March 2025," the spokesperson said.

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Law enforcement officials formal up successful protective cogwheel to analyse an onslaught connected the Pearl Street Mall successful Boulder, Colorado. (AP)

Uber besides confirmed to Fox News Digital that Soliman began driving for the institution successful the outpouring of 2023, and passed a transgression and driving past inheritance check.

Soliman was charged with first-degree murder, crimes against at-risk adults/elderly, first-degree assault, transgression effort to perpetrate people 1 and people 2 felonies, and usage of explosives oregon incendiary devices during a felony.