Guard the Border Blogburst

By Heidi at Euphoric Reality
(See my (Stephanie's) personal commentary below.)

For a long time here at GTB, we have focused on the tsunami of humanity that flows over our southern border from Mexico. Mexicans, by far, are the largest group of illegals inside our borders, and their open agenda of Reconquista has place tax-funded groups like La Raza, MEChA, and LULAC under the microscope. We've also covered the alarming news of the number of Middle Easterners who take full advantage of our unguarded borders to infiltrate our country, paying coyotes tens of thousands of dollars to allow them to blend in with herds of illegals crossing the border. Once inside the country, they disperse and fade away into our society.

Lately, focus has shifted from clandestine border crossings to blatant visa violations as the FBI hunted and captured 11 Egyptian men who entered the country under false pretenses. Such visa violations (including overstaying visa expirations) are not unusual for Middle Easterners, particularly from Pakistan, Yemen, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon, etc., but we Americans are rarely aware of them. Chechens are also making concerted efforts to get into the country illegally, despite the generous visa allowances for their country.

Today, I'd like to examine our broken immigration process in the light of the current war in the Middle East. To that end, I'd like you to reference this column by Investor's Business Daily.

Why Borders Matter

Aug 09 06

The war in Lebanon is an object lesson in border protection. Hezbollah secretly beefed up its forces there as Israel lowered its northern guard. Then Hezbollah attacked. We should take note.

Lest Americans think this is "Israel's war," it's worth repeating that it was Hezbollah that bombed the U.S. Embassy and Marine barracks in Lebanon, killing some 250 Americans. Hezbollah also kidnapped Americans Terry Anderson and Beirut CIA Station Chief William Buckley. Buckley died in captivity with nine others. Some of the masterminds are still at large.

Hezbollah (Party of Allah) is not just a faraway threat. Its leaders have infiltrated the U.S. by breaching our own porous borders.

No matter where you stand on the war in the Middle East, it is not safe or prudent for Americans to be vulnerable - on their own soil - to the volatile agenda of sworn enemies of the United States. Our lax immigration system lets potential enemies slip through all the time, and the recent nationwide scramble to find 11 supposedly harmless Egyptians proves that.

With Hezbollah trying to infiltrate America, and teams of suspicious young men entering the U.S. under false pretenses, it's time to put more teeth in the National Security Entry-Exit Registration System that requires young men from the Middle East who arrived after 9-11 to check in with immigration officials during their stays — not kill the program, as some in Washington have proposed.

The IBD article ends with a clear call to action. There is no reason why our national security ought to be compromised on the altar of political correctness. With enemies at our gates, we shouldn’t be forced to swing them wide to prove how kind and inclusive we are. There are already more than enough "tourists", "students", and "temporary residents" from the Middle East inside our borders with nefarious purposes; it's time we clamped down on their access to our people. While the demand for more teeth in the National Security Entry-Exit Registration System is appropriate, perhaps we also need to consider reviewing and revoking the visas of others who we know support Hezbollah, Hamas, or al Qaeda. Those people shouldn't be too hard to find, even for an inept ICE and INS - they are marching in the streets proclaiming their loyalty to our enemies on a daily basis!

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This has been a production of the Guard the Borders Blogburst. It was started by Euphoric Reality, and serves to keep immigration issues in the forefront of our minds as we're going about our daily lives and continuing to fight the war on terror. If you are concerned with the trend of illegal immigration facing our country, join our Blogburst! Just send an email with your blog name and url to euphoricrealitynet at gmail dot com.

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I have to disagree with certain aspects of this article. First, I do not believe singling out any particular race, ethnicity or country of origin is appropriate. Investigating people from Middle Eastern countries alone is inappropriate, because they are not the only ones who could intend harm to our country, nor are they, historically speaking, the only ones who do. I doubt that has changed just because the Middle East is where the media focuses its attention. Are all other terrorists obsolete and disbanded? Really?

That isn't to say that I do not believe that more measures should be taken to track and verify the legal visitors amongst us, because "over staying your welcome" is one of the easiest ways to stay in this country illegally. We need a better system, not a system bent on racism. The Red Scares were NOT a high-light of American values being played out in American actions. We should not repeat those mistakes.

And, as far as Israel, Lebanon, and the United States of America...I find our part in that whole mess to be deeply troubling. While I will not excuse Hezbollah's actions in any way, shape or form, I will say that our government made our military a target when they expedited arms to Israel, while hypocritically participating in the cease-fire farce. And farce it is, when the first news of the day concerning the matter yesterday was that Israel already broke the cease-fire and I suspect describing the cease-fire as "fragile" is an understatement, at best. Furthermore, when they discover -- again -- that Hezbollah will not be so easily disarmed, I do believe that Israel will -- again -- try her hand at occupation, with tragic results.

Any attempts to disarm or mitigate Hezbollah has to be done in a manner that truly "restores Lebanon's sovereignty," not in a manner that puts that "sovereignty" in the hands of foreigners...such as Israel herself. The Lebanese do not trust Israel. They have no reason to trust the country that just destroyed their homes, their infrastructure, and their lives. Hezbollah gained even more ligitimacy by Israel's invasion in the hearts of the Lebanese people, and that should be a concern for all of us who want a truly victorious end to this War on Terror.