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September 11, 2009
Exclusive: Immigration and 9/11 – What Lessons Have We Learned?
To put today, the eighth remembrance of 9/11, in perspective, remember that December 7, 1941 our nation was attacked at Pearl Harbor. By the summer of 1945 the war was over. In just over three and a half years our nation built fleets of airplanes and ships, weapons systems, and even unproven nuclear technology that had never before existed. Back then, our nation had two mottos. Our nation's official motto was then and is, of course today, "E Pluribus Unum" ("From Many, One"). But we also had an even shorter motto: "Can Do!"
Today that stirring, two-word phrase is seldom heard. I cannot remember the last time I heard one of our nation's "leaders" stand before the microphones to discuss success. Mostly we hear little more than apologies and/or excuses.
Undoubtedly some of our nation's security vulnerabilities have been addressed by our government. However, where immigration is concerned, virtually all that our government has done is to provide the illusion of addressing the critical issue of our nation's porous borders and an immigration system that lacks even a modicum of integrity.
Today there are millions of illegal aliens living and working in our country. Estimates range between 10 to 20 million. On September 11, 2001 19 terrorists obliterated the lives of some 3,000 innocent victims and to this day, more victims remain ill and are dying from illnesses attributable to the toxins they were exposed to on that horrible day eight years ago.
The identities of many of those millions of illegal aliens are unknown and unknowable. Yet there are politicians who are calling for providing these millions of illegal aliens with lawful immigration status and a pathway to United States citizenship even though our officials at USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Services) the government agency under the auspices of the DHS (Department of Homeland Security) are utterly unable to cope with the avalanche of applications that beleaguered agency processes each and every day. They would have no way of determining the true identities of the alien applicants who would undoubtedly flood that agency with many millions of applications for amnesty.
In fact, a few years ago, the GAO determined that the adjudicators at USCIS claimed to have "lost" 111,000 immigration files relating to aliens who had applied for a variety of immigration benefits including some 30,000 aliens who had applied for United States citizenship. Those adjudicators then proceeded to adjudicate all of those applications without the relating files. It is my suspicion that those files were never lost, but that some "leader" at USCIS decided that they could simply move the bureaucratic conveyor belt much more quickly if they did not have to take the time to retrieve and review immigration files. If there is anyone "out there" who cares to refute my hunch, I would be willing to listen to what they have to say.
We have heard much about the "Security Checks" that would be required to be conducted by USCIS in conjunction with any such massive amnesty program. This may sound okay, but take a moment and understand exactly what this means.
When I was a senior special agent of the INS, I held a "Top Secret" clearance. This required that every five years I underwent a rigorous background investigation. This is not the same as a background check. The terms "Investigation" and "Check" are very different.
In order to do a background or security investigation, investigators interview the applicant at length, generally over the course of several hours, and then they head for the field where they knock on doors and interview many people. They may show the people they interview a photograph of the person they are investigating and ask if they know that person's name. If it is determined that the person being investigated has been using multiple identities it then becomes essential to find out why that individual has been using multiple identities and the number of people being interviewed may suddenly increase as new investigative leads are developed. This process can take weeks.
The "Background Checks" that would be conducted in conjunction with any sweeping amnesty program would generally not require investigators to interview anyone. The "Background Check" would require nothing more than running the applicant alien's fingerprints through a computer database to see if any fingerprints on file match. This would, hopefully, disclose if the alien had a criminal history. If the fingerprints came back as a "No Hit," the name provided by the alien would be run through a database to see if that name matches anyone who is on a terrorist watch list has a criminal history.
Illegal aliens tend to use false or stolen identities, a factor that contributes greatly to the fact that identity theft is the fastest growing white collar crime in our country today. Not only would it be impossible to know the true identities of these illegal aliens, it would be similarly impossible to know their backgrounds in their home countries or other countries. It would, in fact, be impossible to even be certain as to their true countries of origin. It would thus be impossible to know their potential affiliation with criminal or terrorist organization or their true intentions for coming to the United States.
It would not even be possible to know where or when they entered the United States. This is another area of great concern. We have been told that we should provide illegal aliens with amnesty if they have been living and working in our country for a specific number of years. How would our officials even begin to determine how long an illegal alien has lived in our country if he (she) has used multiple identities? As an INS agent I often found illegal aliens who were in possession of a number of false or stolen Social Security cards along with other identity documents.
Stop and think about what I have just described. Someone once said that a spy is someone who would not attract the attention of a waiter (or waitress) at a greasy spoon diner. The same could be said of a terrorist. Their objective is to maintain a low profile as a means of embedding themselves. They know it is vital for them to not come to the attention of law enforcement. If a terrorist managed to enter our country and avoided being arrested, he could then apply for amnesty, providing fingerprints that would come up "clean." They would then be able to provide a false name and, because that name is fictitious, it would come back "clean" as well. USCIS would be compelled to then provide that individual with an official identity document within a day or two that could be immediately used to enable that person to apply for an official Social Security Number, an official driver's license, library cards and other such forms of ID. They could open bank accounts, secure employment, obtain credit cards and even purchase property under an assumed identity that would have been substantiated by the {Comprehensive Immigration Reform" legislation that many members of Congress and the administration are once again attempting to jam down our throats.
The only thing worse than no security is false security – such as providing illegal aliens with official identity documents and lawful status in our country provides such individuals with a level of credibility to which they are not entitled.
Furthermore, I want to revisit an issue I have addressed on many previous occasions but believe it is important to discuss today. I am using the term "alien" to describe foreign nationals who are present in our country. The open borders advocates take issue with this term and I want to confront this use of language "head-on."
The Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) is that all encompassing body of laws that address the entry and presence of aliens in our country. That body of law also addresses such issues as the naturalization process and the grounds under which aliens may be excluded or removed (deported) from the United States. These are the laws that are enforced by members of the United States Border Patrol, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Inspectors at ports of entry and Special Agents of ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) throughout the United States. These are the laws that are administered by the adjudicators at USCIS and by Immigration Judges when they determine whether or not to order the removal or exclusion of foreign nationals who are in our country.
Section 101 of the INA contains the various definitions that are vital to all of the above noted legal actions. The term "Alien" is defined by the INA as simply being any person who is not a citizen or national of the United States. It is a concise definition that does not insult or dehumanize anyone who is so defined. I do not know of any other country that has a problem with the term "alien" or "foreigner."
The issue with the term "alien" is that it is clear and concise. Those who are eager to remove our nation's borders understand that clarity is a problem for them and their cause. They are determined to create a smokescreen of obfuscation to prevent an honest discussion about the immigration issue. Most are motivated by the desire to acquire money and/or political power. Illegal aliens provide cheap and exploitable labor and drive down the wages of United States citizens and lawful immigrants. Massive immigration impacts demographics and political power in the United States. Massive immigration provides employment to thousands of immigration attorneys who, not unlike the attorneys who would race to accidents to sign up clients, are eager to see the nation's borders and ports of entry to provide access to millions of potential clients to greatly fatten the wallets of these same attorneys.
The 911 Commission made it clear that immigration-related issues provided the terrorists with access to our nation and with the ability for these terrorists to embed themselves in our country. I have come to refer to the process of "embedding" as "hiding in plain sight."
The 911 Commission noted the vulnerabilities in the visa issuing process and noted how the Visa Waiver Program created additional risks to national security. At the time that the 911 Commission conducted its inquiries, 27 countries participated in the Visa Waiver Program. Today, unbelievably, the number of Visa Waiver Countries has increased to 35.
It is not "xenophobic" to expect our government to protect us and our families from criminals and terrorists, just as it is not "anti-social" for a homeowner to look through his peephole before opening his door to a stranger.
On September 11, 2001 many innocent people were slaughtered in an extremely violent and horrific fashion. Many people became heroes on that day. The police officers, firefighters and civilians who valiantly attempted to rescue the people in the World Trade Center complex; the passengers on United Airlines Flight 93 who were credited with taking back their hijacked airliner from the hijackers and were killed when that airliner crashed in that field in Pennsylvania.
We must remember their valor and their demonstration of selflessness that cost them their lives.
By not addressing the issues I describe, we are leaving our nation vulnerable to future attacks by terrorists and the loss of additional lives at the hands of transnational criminals and gang members.
Any politician who votes for "Comprehensive Immigration Reform" should be given the MVP Award by al Qaeda and other terrorist and criminal organizations.
Our nation has fallen victim to terrorists on a number of occasions. The lessons that should have been learned after the terrorist attacks against the CIA and the World Trade Center in 1993 might well have prevented the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
Clearly our nations "leaders" are still refusing to do what is necessary to secure our nation's borders and create an immigration system that has integrity.
The proposal that millions of illegal aliens whose identities are unknown and unknowable be granted official identity documents and lawful status is absolutely antithetical to the lessons of 9/11. In the days and weeks after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 many of our nation's politicians stood before the cameras and thumped the podium behind which they stood, and demanded to know why no one connected the dots.
The clock is ticking and time is not on our side.
Our nation must not only secure its borders against the illegal entry of illegal aliens, but must create an immigration system that has meaningful integrity if our nation is to effectively address the many challenges confronting our country and our citizens.
In less than two years each and every member of the House of Representatives is up for reelection. In less than two years more than one third of the members of the United States Senate will have to face their constituents. They need to be reminded that they work for We the People.
The large scale apathy demonstrated by citizens of this nation has emboldened elected representatives to all but ignore the needs of the average American citizen in a quest for massive campaign funds and the promises of votes to be ostensibly delivered by special interest groups. There is much that we cannot do but there is one thing that We the People absolutely must do – we must stop sitting on the sidelines!
The collective failure of We the People to get involved in make our concerns known to our politicians have nearly made the concerns of the great majority of the citizens of this nation all but irrelevant to the politicians.
I implore you to get involved!
If this situation 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. You need to politely, but pointedly, demand to know what they are doing to protect our nation. You need to ask them how they are protecting you and your families. You can also forward this commentary to them.
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.
Family Security Matters Contributing Editor Mike 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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