The recent Hamas attack has brought renewed focus to the issue of terrorism at the United States border.
The recent incursion by Hamas into Israel through a heavily protected border has brought fresh scrutiny to the borders of the United States. Republicans argue that potential attackers, similar to those involved in the 9/11 attacks, might be plotting to enter or have already entered the country.
Lawmakers insisted that President Biden recognize the dangers posed to the United States and take action by implementing additional border walls, deploying troops, and putting an end to the unrestricted release of unauthorized migrants, which has resulted in their dispersal to various communities throughout the nation.
“I cannot reword”
During their campaign, Republican candidates were urging the Biden administration to alter their direction.
Bernie Moreno, a candidate seeking the GOP’s nomination for a Senate position in Ohio, proposed a halt on all asylum requests until 2025 in order to address the significant influx of migrants crossing the U.S. border.
“I cannot reword.”
The analysts stated that the concern is not necessarily a Hamas-like attack, where armed individuals forcefully enter borders to cause harm in residential areas, commit mass killings at events, and take hostages back to their base. However, they mentioned that this attack in Israel disproves the notion that the threat of terrorism in the Middle East has been eliminated.
“I cannot reword”
He stated that the contrast between the current immigration debate and the years preceding 2001 is remarkable.
The 9-11 Commission, in its report on the mistakes that resulted in the attack causing the loss of almost 3,000 lives, mentioned that policymakers considered various issues. These included determining the appropriate amount and type of immigration, addressing drug-related concerns at the border, addressing the involvement of smuggling organizations in illegal immigration, and dealing with migration pressures in the Caribbean and other regions.
However, the commission noted that there was minimal consideration given to the potential for terrorists to exploit the immigration system.
“The primary purpose of creating DHS was to prevent this specific situation. Surprisingly, it is the most important task that they are neglecting,” commented Mr. Arthur.
He mentioned the presence of flashing warning indicators indicating possible danger.
The most visible is the terrorism watchlist, where 151 people on the list have been detected sneaking across the southern border from Oct. 1, 2022, to Aug. 31, 2023, obliterating the previous record of 98 people, also set on Mr. Biden’s watch. During the Trump years, a total of just 11 watchlist suspects were nabbed.
Last year, officials also disclosed a terrorist scheme to eliminate ex-President George W. Bush by employing an Islamic State assassination team. An ISIS member intended to clandestinely cross the border for this purpose. This individual informed an FBI informant that they had already successfully brought in two individuals linked to Hezbollah, a Lebanon-based militant group supported by Iran, comparable to Hamas in Israel.
That man, Shihab Ahmed Shihab Shihab, has pleaded guilty to attempting to provide support to terrorists and is awaiting sentencing.
The 2024 Homeland Threat Assessment, recently published by Homeland Security, indicated that foreign terrorist organizations still have an interest in targeting the United States. However, the department emphasized that illegal drugs and disinformation spread through social media pose greater threats within the country.
The extent to which America is susceptible to a terrorist attack due to a weak border has been the subject of intense debate, including during a recent congressional hearing.
Representative Pramila Jayapal, a Democrat from Washington, stated that no American has been harmed or died due to an unauthorized terrorist crossing our southern border.
Alex Nowrasteh, an immigration expert at the Cato Institute, told lawmakers the watchlist numbers are a poor yardstick for terrorism, given problems with the list and the types of names included on there. He said most of those nabbed are likely Colombians associated with rebel insurgencies the U.S. has labeled as terrorists.
Mr. Nowrasteh stated that the probability of dying from a terrorist attack caused by someone born in another country since 1975 is 1 in 4.4 million annually.
However, Rodney Scott, who was the chief of the Border Patrol until he was removed by the Biden administration in 2021, expressed that the situations he witnesses at the border are extremely alarming to him.
