The US Government’s Arrest of Two Yemeni Terror Suspects Who Attempted to Cross the Southern Border Shows the Dangers of America’s Invade the World, Invite the World’s Policies
On April 5, 2021, the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency announced that border agents arrested two Yemeni men on a terror watchlist on two separate occasions while they attempted to cross the Southern border illegally.
According to a Reuters report, the two Yemeni nationals were arrested in January and March close to a port of entry in California. These two individuals were on a watchlist for suspects of terrorism and also on a “no-fly” list, per a CBP press release.
Several Republican elected officials who visited the border in El Paso, Texas back in March argued that some of the people apprehended for border crossings were on a U.S. terrorism watchlist.
One of them, a 33-year-old man, was arrested on January 29 after making an attempt to illegally cross the border near a port of entry in Calexico California. According to the CBP’s recollection of the incident, border agents searched the man and found a mobile phone SIM card underneath the insole of his shoe.
The second individual was a 26-year-old man who was arrested on March 30 around the same area. In a written statement, a CBP spokesman revealed that it is “very uncommon” for border agents to find people suspected of terrorist activity at the U.S. border. Nevertheless, the CBP spokesman stressed the importance of the CBP’s “critical” vetting efforts. The agency has not disclosed the names of the Yemeni nationals so far.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Terrorism Screening Center is tasked with maintaining the terrorist watchlist. According to the FBI, the list features “the identities of those who are known or reasonably suspected of being involved in terrorist activities.”
These arrests show one facet of immigration that is often overlooked. Namely, the national security threats of having porous borders and even a legal immigration system that allows for large numbers of migrants from conflict zones to settle down in the US.
For example, the 19 terrorists involved in the 9/11 attacks came to the US legally. 7 of those hijackers overstayed their visas and were never deported due to the lack of interior immigration enforcement. The terrorists who overstayed their visas hailed from countries such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates, which are known to have significant terrorist activity or at least have individuals or institutions willing to fund terrorist activity. Interestingly enough, these countries are allies or strategic partners of the US. The combination of lax immigration standards and an arrogant foreign policy that put US troops in hostile territory such as the Middle East created the conditions for the horrific attacks of 9/11 that claimed the lives of nearly 3,000 Americans.
Forget fighting never-ending wars abroad, the fact is that open borders will leave America more susceptible to terrorist attacks. If we have to be hawkish, it should be along our border. The US should stop going abroad to police the world and start focusing on its own problems at home.