Terror Attack At Naval Air Station Highlights Immigration Catastrophe
<https://www.frontpagemag.com/
ghlights-michael-cutler/>
Limitations in the vetting process endanger national security.
Dec 10, 2019 | Michael Cutler
<https://www.frontpagemag.com/
The nearly all-consuming fixation on the lack of border security along the
U.S./Mexican border ignore the many other elements of what should be a
cohesive and coordinated immigration system.
Contrary to the claims made by the open borders, immigration anarchists,
the purpose of the border wall is not to prevent the entry of aliens and/or
cargo into the United States, but to make certain that all who enter the
United States are properly vetted and records of their entry are created.
However, not enough attention is paid to the vetting process itself upon
which the integrity of the immigration system depends.
The issue of border security must include the process by which visas are
issued and by which aliens are screened at ports of entry.
The great majority of foreign terrorists who have attacked our nation have
actually entered the United States through ports of entry either with visas
that were obtained by concealing the backgrounds and true identities of the
aliens in question, or by making bogus claims to political asylum, getting
released and then disappearing.
The issue of the vetting of aliens has made it to the front page of
newspapers and the “A block” of television news program because of the
deadly shooting at the Pensacola Air Naval Station by a 21 year old member
of the Saudi military, Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani, a second lieutenant in the
Saudi Air Force as reported in the New York Times on December 6, 2019,
Trainee on Military Base Mounts Deadly Attack
<https://www.nytimes.com/2019/
It has been reported that Alshamrani had posted virulently anti-American
remarks in social media. The immediate obvious question is whether or not
the vetting process including appropriate searches of social media accounts
that might have disclosed his hatred of America before he was granted his
visa.
The ability to effectively vet applicants is limited. Searches delve into
possible criminal histories, but when applicants have no criminal histories
and no known ties to criminal or terrorist organizations, such vetting
process may fail.
Apparently there are two purposes behind the training of foreign pilots by
the U.S. military: to protect U.S. national security interests and encourage
the sale of military aircraft and other equipment by U.S. military
suppliers.
Justifiably, a number of political leaders, and other have called for the
suspension of this program so that the vetting process can be evaluated. To
this point, on December 8, 2019 the New York Post reported, Lindsey Graham
wants training program suspended after Pensacola shooting
<https://nypost.com/2019/12/08
ed-after-pensacola-shooting/> .
That report included this excerpt:
US Rep. Matt Gaetz, a Florida Republican who represents the
base, said on ABC’s “This Week” that the incident “has to inform our ongoing
relationship with Saudi Arabia.”
“We should not be taking new incoming Saudi students until
we’re absolutely confident in our vetting process,” Gaetz said.
There are currently more than 850 Saudis in the US for
various training activities — among about 5,000 foreigners from 153
countries in the country undergoing some form of military training.
There has been a string of incidents that include foreign military students
going missing in the United States in the past. There have also been
worrying reports about foreign students enrolled in other U.S. schools going
missing, including some who are citizens of countries that have a nexus to
terrorism. Yet with only about 6,000 ICE (Immigration and Customs
Enforcement) agents for the entire United States and with more than half of
them engaged in the investigation of non-immigration issues, there are
precious few agents available to enforce the immigration laws. “Sanctuary”
policies of a growing number of cities and states exacerbate the crisis.
One of the most astonishing incidents involving a failure of the vetting
process occurred six months after the terror attacks of September 11, 2001
when it was discovered that two of the dead terrorists had been granted
authorization to attend a civilian flight school in March 2002, six months
after they participated in the terror attacks of 9/11.
On March 19, 2001 the House Subcommittee on Immigration and Claims
conducted a hearing into that fiasco on the topic, INS's March 2002
Notification Of Approval Of Change Of Status For Pilot Training For
Terrorist Hijackers Mohammed Atta And Marwan Al-Shehhi
<http://commdocs.house.gov/com
> . The video
<https://www.c-span.org/video/
that hearing is worth watching.
I was called as an expert witness at that hearing.
For all of the beast-beating and complaints of the members of that
subcommittee and other members of congress, measures to prevent such
failures have been outweighed by the demands of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce
and a veritable laundry list of corporations and special interest groups
that our immigration laws not be enforced and our borders be allowed to
remain wide open by those who know the price of everything and the value of
nothing- even when lives and national security are on the line!
Today we are focused on aliens being given the best possible military
flight training in America’s latest fighter planes. The possibilities of
what such a highly-trained pilot could do in the seat of such as aircraft is
mind-numbing.
In the wake of the shooting at the Pensacola Air Naval Station information
had been circulated that the alleged shooter had visited New York City days
before the attack, possibly in the company of other classmates. This
immediately gave rise the concern that he, and possibly others, might have
been scoping out potential targets for terror attacks.
The mainstream media, in a moment of rare candor raised that possibility.
Yet no one had thought to a Department of Justice press release published
just days earlier.
On December 3, 2019 the DOJ reported, Hizballah Operative Sentenced to 40
Years in Prison for Covert Terrorist Activities on Behalf of Hizballah’s
Islamic Jihad Organization
<https://www.justice.gov/opa/p
n-covert-terrorist-activities-
by Hizballah’s External Terrorist Operations Component and Gathered
Intelligence in New York City in Support of Attack-Planning Efforts.
You will notice in this excerpt from the earlier DOJ press release
<https://www.justice.gov/opa/p
t-covert-terrorist-activities-
conviction that immigration law violations were among the crimes that he
committed:
Yesterday, a jury returned a guilty verdict against Ali
Kourani, a.k.a. “Ali Mohamad Kourani,” a.k.a. “Jacob Lewis,” a.k.a.
“Daniel,” on all eight counts in the Indictment, which charged him with
terrorism, sanctions and immigration offenses for his illicit work as an
operative for Hizballah’s external attack-planning component. Kourani is
scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 27, 2019…
My recent article, Alleged Hezbollah “Sleeper” Arrested In NYC By Joint
Terrorism Task Force
<https://www.frontpagemag.com/
-nyc-joint-michael-cutler/> included this paragraph:
On September 19, 2019 the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the
Southern District of New York issued a press release that announced,
Manhattan U.S. Attorney Announces Indictment Of New Jersey Man For Terrorist
Activities On Behalf Of Hizballah’s Islamic Jihad Organization
<https://www.justice.gov/usao-
ment-new-jersey-man-terrorist-
press release provides more disturbing information, Alexei Saab Allegedly
Was Trained by Hizballah’s External Terrorist Operations Component in
Bomb-Making and Conducted Intelligence-Gathering in New York City and
Washington, D.C., and Elsewhere in Support of Hizballah’s Attack-Planning
Efforts.
On August 2, 2019 the Justice Department posted thus extremely this
worrying news release, Afghanistan National and Former U.S. Military
Interpreter Charged for Role in Human Smuggling Conspiracy
<https://www.justice.gov/opa/p
interpreter-charged-role-human
On August 20, 2018 the Department of Justice issued a press release
<https://www.justice.gov/opa/p
s-government-iran> , Two Individuals Charged for Acting as Illegal Agents of
the Government of Iran.
My piece written in February 2018, Saudi Graduate Of Al Qaeda Terror
Training Camp Arrested In Oklahoma
<https://archives.frontpagemag
ng-camp-michael-cutler/> - Alleged classmate of 9/11 hijackers attended US
flight school in 2016 included a link to the DOJ press release, Saudi
Citizen Charged in Oklahoma With Concealing Attendance at Al Qaeda Training
Camp
<https://www.justice.gov/opa/p
tendance-al-qaeda-training-cam
There is a clear nexus between immigration and national security yet, for
decades, the immigration system has abjectly lacked the resources it needs
to imbue this important mission with the resources essential to enhancing
the integrity of this vital system. Furthermore, the radical Left have
demanded the dismantling of immigration law enforcement altogether, in
essence ordering “Shields down” in a truly perilous era.
How many more innocent victims must be slaughtered before our nation comes
to its senses?
------------------------------
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Discussions about immigration almost invariably focus on the lack of
integrity to the border that is supposed to separate the United States from
America. Clearly that border lacks integrity and represents little more
than a speed bump to smugglers who transport illegal aliens and contraband
including record quantities of dangerous drugs such as heroin and cocaine
into the United States.
However, there are many more components to the immigration system including
systems by which aliens are granted visas to enter the United States and
various immigration benefits such as conferring employment authorization to
aliens in the United States and also include the adjudications process by
which aliens are granted lawful immigrant status and even United States
citizenship.
All of these systems of the immigration system lack integrity. Aliens who
have gone on to commit crimes and even participate in terrorist attacks have
often been dissevered to have successfully gamed the immigration benefits
program in order to embed themselves in communities around the United States
as they went about their deadly preparations.
The findings and recommendations of the 9/11 Commission must be the
starting point for any discussion about immigration legislation. That
commission determined that a lack of border security, including the visa
process. and fraud in the immigration benefits program, enabled terrorists
to enter and embed themselves in the United States, as they went about their
deadly preparations.
Immigration is not a single issue but a singular issue that impacts nearly
every challenge and threat confronting the United States today! Simply
stated, the immigration laws were enacted to save lives and protect the jobs
of American workers. In point of fact, our borders and our immigration laws
are America’s first line of defense and last line of defense against
international terrorists and transnational criminals.
It is not “Anti-Immigrant” to be “Pro-American” it is also not
“Anti-Immigrant” to be pro-immigration law enforcement!
Our armed forces are charged with securing America’s borders externally
while the DHS is supposed to secure those same borders from within. The
failures of the DHS to live up to its half of the equation are undermining
the efforts, valor and incredible sacrifices of Americas men and women who
serve in our military!
If our government's failures to protect American jobs by securing our
nation's borders and effectively enforcing our immigration laws concerns you
or especially if it angers you, I ask you to call your Senators and
Congressional "Representative. This is not only your right- it is your
obligation!
All I ask is that you make it clear to our politicians that we are not as
dumb as they hope we are!
We live in a perilous world and in a perilous era. The survival of our
nation and the lives of our citizens hang in the balance.
American Lives Matter!
This is neither a Conservative issue, nor is it a Liberal issue- simply
stated, this is most certainly an AMERICAN issue!
You are either part of the solution or you are a part of the problem!
Democracy is not a spectator sport!
Lead, follow or get out of the way!
-michael cutler-
Please check out my website:
http://michaelcutler.net/
On Friday evenings from 7:00 PM until 8:00 PM Eastern Time, I host my show,
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