Bordering On Catastrophe: ISIS Camp on US Border? By Michael Cutler
http://www.frontpagemag.com/2015/michael-cutler/bordering-on-catastrophe-isis-camp-on-us-border/print/
Time and again reports have surfaced from various sources along the U.S./Mexican border that is supposed to separate the United States from Mexico. On April 14, 2015 Judicial Watch posted a chilling report, “ISIS Camp a Few Miles from Texas, Mexican Authorities Confirm” [1] that was, purportedly based on information provided to Judicial Watch by a “Mexican Army field grade officer” and a Mexican Federal Police Inspector.
This is the report as posted by Judicial Watch:
ISIS is operating a camp just a few miles from El Paso, Texas, according to Judicial Watch sources that include a Mexican Army field grade officer and a Mexican Federal Police Inspector.
The exact location where the terrorist group has established its base is around eight miles from the U.S. border in an area known as “Anapra” situated just west of Ciudad Juárez in the Mexican state of Chihuahua. Another ISIS cell to the west of Ciudad Juárez, in Puerto Palomas, targets the New Mexico towns of Columbus and Deming for easy access to the United States, the same knowledgeable sources confirm.
During the course of a joint operation last week, Mexican Army and federal law enforcement officials discovered documents in Arabic and Urdu, as well as “plans” of Fort Bliss – the sprawling military installation that houses the US Army’s 1st Armored Division. Muslim prayer rugs were recovered with the documents during the operation.
Law enforcement and intelligence sources report the area around Anapra is dominated by the Vicente Carrillo Fuentes Cartel (“Juárez Cartel”), La Línea (the enforcement arm of the cartel) and the Barrio Azteca (a gang originally formed in the jails of El Paso). Cartel control of the Anapra area make it an extremely dangerous and hostile operating environment for Mexican Army and Federal Police operations.
According to these same sources, “coyotes” engaged in human smuggling – and working for Juárez Cartel – help move ISIS terrorists through the desert and across the border between Santa Teresa and Sunland Park, New Mexico. To the east of El Paso and Ciudad Juárez, cartel-backed “coyotes” are also smuggling ISIS terrorists through the porous border between Acala and Fort Hancock, Texas. These specific areas were targeted for exploitation by ISIS because of their understaffed municipal and county police forces, and the relative safe-havens the areas provide for the unchecked large-scale drug smuggling that was already ongoing.
Mexican intelligence sources report that ISIS intends to exploit the railways and airport facilities in the vicinity of Santa Teresa, NM (a US port-of-entry). The sources also say that ISIS has “spotters” located in the East Potrillo Mountains of New Mexico (largely managed by the Bureau of Land Management) to assist with terrorist border crossing operations. ISIS is conducting reconnaissance of regional universities; the White Sands Missile Range; government facilities in Alamogordo, NM; Ft. Bliss; and the electrical power facilities near Anapra and Chaparral, NM.
Clearly the lawlessness found along America’s southwest border represents a major vulnerability to the United States. That military bases and other important facilities are within striking distance of those ISIS camps constitute a serious threat- and not just to those important facilities and locations along our southwest border that appear to have been targeted by ISIS, but to our entire nation as well.
Furthermore, when massive numbers of illegal aliens, including the torrents of unaccompanied minors flood our border, Border Patrol agents become mired in dealing with this onslaught, further exacerbating the lack of resources to secure that dangerous border and overloading the already dysfunctional immigration system- ranging from a lack of an adequate number of immigration judges, detention space, attorneys and funding leading to chaos for the entire immigration system.
Consequently, while it may be easy to make the presumption that this lack of security along the U.S. Mexican border is only of concern to residents of the supposed “four border states,” the reality is, that as I have noted on many, many occasions- the United States has 50 border states.
Consider that any state that has an international airport, access to the tens of thousands of America’s meandering coastline or lies along the northern as well as the southern borders are all border states because they provide access to people and cargo entering the United States. This was the premise for my FrontPage Magazine article, “Border Security and the Immigration Colander” [2] in which I not only discussed the ways that aliens might enter the United States in violation of law, but in the many components to the immigration system that include the enforcement of our immigration laws from within the interior of the United States and the way that the adjudication of applications for immigration benefits for aliens is conducted with precious little integrity.
When aliens run our borders they do not emulate Neil Armstrong or the other Apollo astronauts who landed on the moon, planted a flag, did a bit of research, grabbed some rocks and promptly returned to the Earth. These aliens do not remain along the border for long- their goal is to head for the rest of the United States. There are, in point of fact, very large communities of illegal aliens living in states across the U.S. who entered the United States by evading the inspections process that is supposed to prevent the entry of terrorists, criminals and other foreign nationals whose presence in the United States would be problematic. It would be incredibly naïve to think that terrorists from ISIS and other terrorist organizations have not already made their way to towns and cities around the United States.
Once in the United States, aliens who seek to engage in criminal or terrorist activities, next need to find a way to hide in plain sight or, in the words of the 9/11 Commission, embed themselves in communities around the country.
I addressed the way that so-called “Sanctuary Cities” provide all too many opportunities to those who are determined to attack us to embed themselves in towns and cities across the United Stats in my September 24, 2014 FrontPage Magazine article, “‘Sanctuary Cities’ or ‘Safe Havens’ for Terrorists?” [3]
In my commentary I noted that both President George W. Bush and Barack Obama said that they would deny sanctuary to terrorists anywhere in the world meanwhile consider that collectively, the mayors and governors who declare their cities and states to be sanctuaries for illegal aliens are providing sanctuary to millions of foreign nationals whose identities (including their countries of citizenship) are unknown and not readily determinable. There is, therefore, no way to know if among those millions of trespassers aliens who are fugitives from justice, members of transnational criminal organizations or international terrorists- perhaps, indeed- members of ISIS.
That is a clear example of what you don’t know can hurt you.
Yet neither the Bush administration nor the Obama administration sought to prosecute and/or punish “Sanctuary Cities” that are acting in violation of federal immigration law, Title 8, United States Code, Section 1324 that deems it a felony to aid, abet, encourage or induce aliens to enter the United States in violation of law or to harbor or shield illegal aliens from detection federal immigration enforcement officers.
Here is an excerpt from that section of law:
Title 8, U.S.C. § 1324(a) Offenses
Title 8, U.S.C. § 1324(a) defines several distinct offenses related to aliens. Subsection 1324(a)(1)(i)-(v) prohibits alien smuggling, domestic transportation of unauthorized aliens, concealing or harboring unauthorized aliens, encouraging or inducing unauthorized aliens to enter the United States, and engaging in a conspiracy or aiding and abetting any of the preceding acts. Subsection 1324(a)(2) prohibits bringing or attempting to bring unauthorized aliens to the United States in any manner whatsoever, even at a designated port of entry. Subsection 1324(a)(3).
Harboring — Subsection 1324(a)(1)(A)(iii) makes it an offense for any person who — knowing or in reckless disregard of the fact that an alien has come to, entered, or remains in the United States in violation of law, conceals harbors, shields from detection, or attempts to conceal, harbor, or shield from detection, such alien in any place, including any building or any means of transportation.
Encouraging/Inducing — Subsection 1324(a)(1)(A)(iv) makes it an offense for any person who — encourages or induces an alien to come to, enter, or reside in the United States, knowing or in reckless disregard of the fact that such coming to, entry, or residence is or will be in violation of law.
Conspiracy/Aiding or Abetting — Subsection 1324(a)(1)(A)(v) expressly makes it an offense to engage in a conspiracy to commit or aid or abet the commission of the foregoing offenses.
Now add to all of the foregoing the fact that as was noted at the end of the fifth paragraph of the report by Judicial Watch:
These specific areas were targeted for exploitation by ISIS because of their understaffed municipal and county police forces, and the relative safe-havens the areas provide for the unchecked large-scale drug smuggling that was already ongoing.
The bottom line is that both Mexico and parts of the United States are providing safe-havens for terrorists who have made it clear that they have placed our country and our citizens in their cross-hairs.
Yet those politicians who bear responsibility for creating those havens face no consequences. Of course while this is disturbing if not infuriating- it should not surprise anyone. After all it is the federal government and the administration policies and actions as well as its lack of actions make our federal government the most reponsible for the ability of illegal aliens and the terrorists and criminals among them to not only enter the United States but successfully embed themselves in communities from border to border and coast to coast.
Our porous borders, the ever increasing Visa Waiver Program and failures to enforce our nation’s immigration laws on the federal level from within the interior of the United States, coupled with sanctuary policies of cities and states and their willingness to not only ignore violations of our immigration laws but provide driver’s licenses and in some instances, municipal identity documents to aliens who evaded the inspections process, all work against our national security and facilitate the ability of international terrorists and transnational criminals to enter the United States and embed themselves in our country.
I appear in a Tea Party Patriots hard-hitting documentary, “The Border States of America.” [4] The subtitle of this film makes the importance and relevance of the immigration crisis clear to all Americans irrespective of where they may live, “Every State is Now a Border State.”
This film dispels the propaganda that our U.S./Mexican border is secure. Among those interviewed for this film were Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions, Iowa Congressman Steve King, Texas Congressman Louie Gohmert, sheriffs, Border Patrol agents, ranchers and others living along the southern border of the United States.
My good friend Mark Hager, a history professor from North Carolina, went to the border with an amazing team to conduct the interviews and film the parts of the border for the documentary that the administration would undoubtedly not want anyone to see.
The notion that it is reasonable to ignore violations of our borders and our immigration laws ignores commonsense and the findings and recommendations of the 9/11 Commission.
On December 19, 2014 Californians for Population Stabilization (CAPS) posted my extensive article: “Obama’s ‘Gift’ to International Terrorists: Immigration Executive Action.” [5]
On January 23, 2015 FrontPage Magazine published my article: “Sleeper Cells: The Immigration Component of the Threat.” [6]
On February 25, 2015, The Daily Caller published my commentary on the lack of integrity to the process by which political asylum applications are adjudicated creates vulnerabilities for America and Americans. The title of my commentary was, “Political Asylum: How America’s Compassion Creates National Security Nightmares” [7] which was predicated on a February 12, 2015 ABC News report, “U.S. Officials Admit Concern Over Syrian Refugee Effort [8].”
This is hardly the first time I have written or discussed the vulnerabilities created by the failures of the immigration system especially where the process by which applications for immigration benefits are adjudicated.
Back on February 8, 2014 I was interviewed by Tucker Carlson when I was a guest on Fox & Friends to discuss how the administration had unilaterally decided to eliminate the bar against providing political asylum to aliens who may have had incidental contacts with terrorists or terror organizations.
Tucker is not only one of the hosts on Fox & Friends but is also the editor-in-chief of The Daily Caller.
As I noted during my interview with Tucker last year, I am particularly sensitive to the need for our nation to treat people with compassion and protect those who are vulnerable and are at risk. inasmuch as my grandmother (my mother’s mother) for whom I was named, was slaughtered in Poland during the Holocaust. However, it is clear that failures of the vetting process and a lack of integrity to the immigration system have provided all too many aliens with criminal and terror intentions to enter the United States, thereby undermining public safety and national security.
Permitting America’s compassion and kindness to be turned against our nation and our citizens is unacceptable! The video of my interview was posted on the Fox News website under the title, “New immigration exemptions putting US at risk?” [9] ‘Loose’ terror ties allowed for asylum.
Terrorists must never see in America’s kindness and compassion weakness that can be exploited.
Failures of the immigration system have permitted millions of illegal aliens to enter our country and acquire lawful status in the United States thereby undermining national security, public safety and a host of issues and challenges that confront our nation and our citizens today. Conversely, our immigration laws, if effectively harnessed could become a most effective weapon in combatting international terrorism, transnational criminals organizations and other serious threats and challenges.
What would be needed is a commitment from our elected politicians to live up to their oaths of office and demonstrate real integrity.
The reason that the Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) has immigration agents assigned to that task force is because of just how significant our immigration laws are.
In the face of the threats posed by ISIS- the time has come for our leaders to put American lives and the security of our nation at the top of their list of priorities- the stakes are way to high for them to not finally do what is essential.
To borrow a phrase and mind-set most of us were raised with as kids- “Safety first!”
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