Hi Gang:
Today, October 7th, FrontPage Magazine, a publication of the David Horowitz Freedom Center published my latest commentary. This time I focused on the public health significance of the inspections process conducted at ports of entry across the United States by the CBP (Customs and Border Protection) Inspectors. My career with the former INS (Immigration and Naturalization Service began 43 years ago when I entered on duty as an Immigration Inspector assigned to John F. Kennedy International Airport. I remained in that position for approximately 4 years and then went on to become an INS Special Agent.
I called upon my experiences and other resources in writing my latest article:
In addition to reading my article I ask that you consider that when the issue of securing the borders of the United States is raised, most people will immediately turn their attention to the United Staes Border Patrol. Indeed, the men and women of the Border Patrol are charged with a very serious mission- interdict those who would evade the inspections process conducted at ports of entry.
However, it is vital to take that inspections process conducted at rots of entry into consideration when discussion border security. I have come to compare the importance of the inspections process conducted at ports of entry with the mission of the TSA to keep weapons and terrorists from getting on board airliners. When the TSA fails to prevent weapons from getting through the screen process the failure is likely to make headlines. Yet every single day thousands of intending illegal aliens are unwittingly welcomed into the United States by another component of the DHS- the CBP Inspectors. It is vital to consider the importance of this process and solution must be found to make it more effective and efficient.
America’s borders (in all 50 states) and its immigration laws are our first line of defense and last line of defense.
It is remarkable that in the wake of the Ebola Virus outbreak in Africa that suddenly many of our Congressional “leaders” who have been quick to focus attention on the U.S. / Mexican border are suddenly going public with their demands that the DHS and Public Health Service ramp up efforts to prevent travelers infected with the Ebola virus from entering the United States. The administration is now discussing how individuals seeking entry into the United States can be better screened when they apply for entry into the United States, yet no one is asking how our government can possibly screen the thousands of illegal aliens who evade the inspections process altogether by running our nation’s borders.
Politicians and journalists, alike, are expressing outrage that the citizen from Liberia, Thomas Duncan could have lied to officials as he prepared to board the airliner that would bring him to Dallas, Texas when he filled out the required questionnaire that asked if he had been in close contact with anyone suffering from the Ebola virus.
How naive are these politicians and supposed “journalists?” It is estimated that perhaps 40% of all illegal aliens who are present in the United States did not run our borders but were admitted through ports of entry and then, in one way or another, violated the terms of their admission. How many of those illegal aliens, who went through the inspections process, told the inspectors at the U.S. ports of entry that they intended to remain illegally in the United States long after their authorized period of admission expired? How many do you suppose proclaimed that they were coming to work illegally?
How many of the aliens who subsequently carried out terror attacks- or attempted to carry out terror attacks inside the United States informed the CBP Inspectors that they were coming to the United States to kill Americans?
Let us remember that the inspections process conducted at ports of entry is not supposed to be be simply a formality but is supposed to actually provide a layer of security- this is especially important given the threats posed to national security, public safety and public health by aliens engaged in crime and/or terrorism and by those who may be infected with dangerous communicable diseases. Ebola has certainly garnered lots of attention but there are other very dangerous communicable diseases that can kill, yet these issues are all being glossed over by all too many of our supposed “leaders.”
Here are a few articles worth reviewing:
First things first- let us begin by considering the first paragraph found in the preface of the The 9/11 Commission Staff Report on Terrorist Travel:
“It is perhaps obvious to state that terrorists cannot plan and carry out attacks in the United States if they are unable to enter the country. Yet prior to September 11, while there were efforts to enhance border security, no agency of the U.S. government thought of border security as a tool in the counterterrorism arsenal. Indeed, even after 19 hijackers demonstrated the relative ease of obtaining a U.S. visa and gaining admission into the United States, border security still is not considered a cornerstone of national security policy. We believe, for reasons we discuss in the following pages, that it must be made one.”
The Washington Times published a disturbing report on July 20, 2013 entitled:
Homeland Security loses track of 1 million foreigners; report could hurt immigration deal
Here is how this important report begins:
The Homeland Security Department has lost track of more than 1 million people who it knows arrived in the U.S. but who it cannot prove left the country, according to an audit Tuesday that also found the department probably won’t meet its own goals for deploying an entry-exit system.
The findings were revealed as Congress debates an immigration bill, and the Government Accountability Office’s report could throw up another hurdle because lawmakers in the House and Senate have said that any final deal must include a workable system to track entries and exits and cut down on so-called visa overstays.
My article was predicated on a hard-hitting report posted by ABC News on November 20, 2013:
“Exclusive: US May Have Let ‘Dozens’ of Terrorists Into Country As Refugees”
Going back to the focus of the Washington Times article and the fact that one million aliens have gone missing- this is not a new problem. In fact, On May 11, 2006 I testified before the House Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations of the Committee on International Relations on the topic:
“VISA OVERSTAYS: CAN WE BAR THE TERRORIST DOOR?”
In May, 2010 I was interviewed by CNN’s Casey Wian for a report that was titled,
“Tracking Down Visa Violators.”
On May 10, 2010 I was interviewed by Daniel Gonzalez, a reporter with the Arizona Republic for an news report titled,
“U.S. not cracking down on immigrants with expired visas.”
On July 7, 2014 FrontPage Magazine published my article:
On September 17, 2014 CAPS (Californians for Population Stabilization) posted my article:
Immigration and Threats Posed by ISIS
The importance of our borders and our immigration laws cannot be overemphasized. In the war on terror and transnational gangs, they are our first line of defense and our last line of defense. They are equally important to American workers who are facing unfair competition from foreign workers, aided and abetted by the administration and advocates for “Sanctuary Cities” and Comprehensive Immigration Reform,
On June 13, 2013 I was interviewed by Neil Cavuto at Fox News on the topic:
The interview ran about 4 minutes and is worth watching.
CAPS (Californians for Population Stabilization) posted my commentary that asks the questions all Americans need to ask their political “representatives.” My commentary is aptly titled:
“How? Why?”
In his historic speech before the 3rd Army on May 31, 1944, General George S. Patton said, on the strategy of holding a position:
“We’re not holding anything, we’ll let the Hun do that. We are advancing constantly, and we’re not interested in holding onto anything except the enemy.”
Pushing back against Comprehensive Immigration Reform is the same as holding position. The time has come for us to advance by demanding that our borders be made truly secure and our immigration laws be effectively administered and enforced.
Comprehensive Immigration Reform violates all of the findings and recommendations of the 9/11 Commission but no one is willing to even consider how the lack of real border security and the lack of real integrity to the various components of the immigration system imperil national security and public safety.
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!”
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.
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!
