Immigration and Terrorism

Running Head : Immigration and Terrorism

Immigration and Terrorism : How it

Changed the United States

Immigration and Terrorism : How it

Changed the United States

Abstract

This report makes clear that strict enforcement of immigration law -- at American consulates overseas , at ports of entry , and within the United States -- must be an integral part of our efforts to prevent future attacks on U .S . soil

Immigration and Terrorism : How it

Changed the United States

The 9 /11 event had been one of the biggest turning point of the

lives of the US citizens . Five years had already passed but the event had been deeply etched in the heart of every people . It made the countrymen think and realized why this had easily happened and made them ask if immigration law in the United States had been so laxed . The events showed widespread terrorist violations of immigration laws . The lax immigration system causes danger in the United States , not just in terms of who is allowed to enter the country , but also how terrorists used the weaknesses of the system to remain in the country

What requires emphasis is the ease with which terrorists have moved through U .S . b security and obtained significant immigration benefits such as naturalization . The security gaps that existed then still , in many instances , exist today . Janice L . Kephart (2005 ) stressed that Terrorists have used just about every means possible to enter the United States , from acquiring legitimate passports and visas for entry to stowing away illegally on an Algerian gas tanker

This study reviews 94 individuals closely affiliated with terror organizations , whether through overt terrorist acts , connections to criminal activity in support of terror , or terror financing . Most have been convicted or indicted . It summarizes how these terrorists have successfully sought legal immigration benefits through fraudulent means and the legal action (if any ) taken against them . This report only includes the six 9 /11 hijackers who abused immigration benefits to stay in the United States

With approximately 1 .5 million legal and illegal immigrants entering annually - equivalent to the population of Philadelphia - the United States has the highest number of foreign-born residents ever . As a percentage of the population , these 33 million , strengthened continuously , will soon surpass a level not seen since the first decade of the 20th century . Within a few years they will constitute the largest percentage of foreign-born in U .S . history (Steinlight , 2004

What 's strange still in the immigration system is the visa lottery where there is a system where people send in a postcard , which is now done electronically , and then names are drawn out of a hat , with 50 ,000 winners each year given permanent residence in the United States . This system draws in a lot of problems not only administratively it also creates a great opportunity foe illegal immigrants and terrorists

One example of this visa lottery is Hesham Mohamed Hedayet 's case . He murdered Victoria Hen and Yaakov Aminov at Los Angeles International Airport on July...