The Department of Homeland Security on Thursday confirmed that eight Syrian nationals--two families--passed through a border checkpoint in Laredo.
    Despite other media reports that the Syrians were "caught" or were "arrested trying to gain entry into the United States," DHS said in a release that the families "presented themselves at a port of entry in Laredo" and "were taken into custody." They were two men, two women and four children, DHS said. They were not trying to sneak into the country.
    Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who recently said he would not permit Syrian refugees in Texas, tweeted the news Wednesday night, writing "THIS is why Texas is vigilant about Syrian refugees."
    His office did not immediately respond to requests for clarification Thursday.
    Millions of people have fled Syria, and a four-year-old civil war waged between government forces and splintered rebel factions, including ISIS, recently amplified by bombing campaigns from a handful of developed nations.
    According to the U.S. Department of Justice, 219 Syrians received amnesty in the U.S. in 2014, down from 291 a year prior but up from only 56 in 2010.
    According to the United Nations, the conflict has left 13.5 million people, including 6 million children, in need of protection and aid.
    It is unclear if the eight Syrians taken into custody at the Texas border were seeking to escape that conflict, however.
    But U.S. officials have voiced fear of refugees in recent days, after unsubstantiated reports emerged that Syrians were involved in the Paris massacre that killed more than 130 people Friday night. The claim was based on the discovery of a Syrian passport near the body of an attacker, which the Washington Post reported was not authentic.
    DHS said the two women and four children will be sent to a family detention center in Dilley, Texas, while the men are sent to a detention center in Pearsall, Texas.