An illegal migrant terror suspect nabbed in New York City in December has been ordered deported by an immigration judge, The Post has learned.
South African migrant Umar Farooq Ashraf’s arrest came three months after he was released at the border — despite authorities being aware of his alleged terror ties.
Ashraf, 18, was captured at a Brooklyn apartment as part of a “multi-agency effort” to hunt him down, then Border Patrol Chief Jason Owens announced at the time.
He now awaits deportation in an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center in Raymondville, TX, according to sources.
Ashraf was first busted in September in Texas by state troopers while sneaking across the border into Normandy and detained for alleged criminal trespassing, according to Texas Department of Public Safety Lieutenant Chris Olivarez.
While state cops were screening Ashraf, they received an alert from the Terror Screening Center identifying him as a “spouse or child of a known or suspected terrorist.”
It remains unclear which terror group Ashraf is allegedly associated with.
Ashraf was then handed over to the feds, who later released him at an unknown time despite the red flags.
Owens later said that Ashraf was released “based on information available at the time.”
“A further subsequent investigation revealed a positive match on the terrorist watchlist, prompting swift action by USBP agents and personnel at the National Targeting Center,” said Owens.
The suspected terrorist then made his way to New York City, where he was eventually collared by ICE.
ICE officers showed up at Ashraf’s Brooklyn apartment on one December morning with an arrest warrant, sources told The Post.
Ashraf was then transported to an ICE detention center in Elizabeth, New Jersey, where he told agents he feared being deported back to South Africa.
One source said Ashraf was allowed into the country due to a “major lapse in intelligence,” saying he’s “without a doubt… a real deal” terrorist.
When ICE officers knocked on Ashraf’s door, they found the suspected terrorist and his two friends.
One of the pals, Hassan Ali, a citizen of Spain, told The Post that four officers appeared early that morning with “an arrest warrant.”
Ali said the apartment is owned by a friend, who was visiting Pakistan at the time.
Ali defended Ashraf’s innocence.
“I don’t know these things. I 100% believe he’s innocent. They got the wrong guy, he’s only 18 years old, why can you say that he’s a terrorist?” he fumed.
The suspected terrorist along with his father were stopped by authorities in Panama while making their way to the US, but were eventually allowed to keep moving northward, sources said.
Ashraf reached Costa Rica in July and was deported to Brazil, but somehow still made it across the US-Mexico border.
