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December 1, 2008
Exclusive: Did Immigration Fraud Have a Hand in Creation of Alleged Minnesota Terror Group?
A recent ABC report should be of concern to all Americans and to our elected leaders. It regards Shirwa Ahmed, a naturalized U.S. citizen who is believed to have committed a suicide bombing in Somalia and – even more disturbing – may have been involved in the recruitment of young men of Somali descent here in the United States.
The news report further states that more than a dozen such men, perhaps as many as 40 and mostly in their 20s, have "disappeared."
Here are the most important questions:
How did Shirwa Ahmed acquire citizenship through the naturalization process? Did he come here as a young child and naturalize through his parents or did he recently acquire United States citizenship by committing immigration fraud? How many more people are now operating in our country or seeking to enter our country in support of terrorist objectives?
There have been a number of GAO (General Accountability Office) reports pointing to nonfeasance, misfeasance and malfeasance at USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Services) where, to cite one example, in a report issued two years ago, USCIS allegedly claimed to have lost 111,000 immigration files of aliens who applied for a variety of immigration benefits – including some 30,000 such files relating to applications for naturalization. Incredibly, according to the GAO, the applications for those benefits, including those applications for naturalization were processed without the relevant and critically important files!
Immigration fraud has been an important component of the strategies employed by terrorists operating our country for many years. This includes the terrorists who attacked our nation in 1993 when Amir Kansi, a Pakistani national who had committed fraud when filing for political asylum, stood outside CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia in January of that year and shot five CIA employees who were reporting for work with an AK-47. Two of those employees died and the three others were wounded. On February 26, 1993, when the first attack was carried out at the World Trade Center complex, immigration fraud was again a significant factor.
Today, once again, we are being informed about a naturalized citizen who may well have used his position as a citizen of our country against our nation and against our citizens.
We need to know if the young men who are described as having gone missing may have gamed the immigration bureaucracy in order to enter our country and/or embed themselves in our country.
This is not about creating xenophobia as the open border advocates often accuse those of us who have fact-based concerns. This is about making certain that an important component of national security lives up to its obligation to honor those aliens whose presence in our country contributes to the magnificent tapestry that makes up our country by keeping out those whose intentions are not benign but are rather seeking our destruction.
A 2005 report prepared by Janice Kephart, former counsel to the 9/11 Commission, for a panel discussion by the Center for Immigration Studies (with which I am associated), brought to light many disturbing revelations, including:
· Of the 94 foreign-born terrorists who operated in the United States, the study found that about two-thirds (59) committed immigration fraud prior to or in conjunction with taking part in terrorist activity.
· Of the 59 terrorists who violated the law, many committed multiple immigration violations – 79 instances in all.
· In 47 instances, immigration benefits sought or acquired prior to 9/11 enabled the terrorists to stay in the United States after 9/11 and continue their terrorist activities. In at least two instances, terrorists were still able to acquire immigration benefits after 9/11.
· Temporary visas were a common means of entering; 18 terrorists had student visas and another four had applications approved to study in the United States. At least 17 terrorists used a visitor visa -- either tourist (B2) or business (B1).
· There were 11 instances of passport fraud and 10 instances of visa fraud; in total 34 individuals were charged with making false statements to an immigration official.
· In at least 13 instances, terrorists overstayed their temporary visas.
· In 17 instances, terrorists claimed to lack proper travel documents and applied for asylum, often at a port of entry.
· Fraud was used not only to gain entry into the United States, but also to remain, or "embed," in the country.
· Seven terrorists were indicted for acquiring or using various forms of fake identification, including driver's licenses, birth certificates, Social Security cards, and immigration arrival records.
· Once in the United States, 16 of 23 terrorists became legal permanent residents, often by marrying an American. There were at least nine sham marriages.
· In total, 20 of 21 foreign terrorists became naturalized U.S. citizens".
I would ask that you remember that our nation's leaders are apparently gearing up once again to foist an amnesty program on our nation and our citizens. That amnesty program would be administered by the inept and incompetent USCIS.
This commentary was written with the aim to alert you to the challenges confronting our nation. Now it is up to you, the citizens of this nation, to contact your elected representatives and demand that they represent you and your family and to protect our nation. This is the burden all Americans must bear.
Many years ago there was a clever campaign mounted by the American Red Cross. They hung signs in buses and subway cars in New York City that were aimed at those New Yorkers who would fail to donate blood by saying, "Remember, to the other guy, you are the other guy!” This certainly applies in this situation.
The safety of our nation begins at its borders. It is therefore essential that our borders be secured and that our immigration bureaucracy honors those who abide by the laws and seeks to weed out those who would commit fraud and those who would assist them.
FamilySecurityMatters.org Contributing Editor Michael Cutler is a Fellow at the Center for Immigration Studies and a recognized authority who addresses the implications of immigration on national security and criminal justice. Feedback: editorialdirector@familysecuritymatters.org.
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