Border Security Doesn’t Stop at Mexico and Canada

Michael Cutler



Coincidence is a funny thing. This week I watched a series of gut-wrenching television programs that dealt with the attacks of September 11, 2001. I sat mesmerized with my wife and a couple of my kids, reliving that horrific day. It helped me to remember how and why I became involved in my quest to finally get our nation to change the way it conducts business because I fear we may be attacked again.



The next day I received an e-mail from one of my former colleagues who is currently employed by ICE. contained a disturbing GAO report that The e-mail contained a disturbing GAO report that was issued on November 13, 2007 and is entitled: BORDER SECURITY: "Despite Progress, Weaknesses in Traveler Inspections Exist at Our Nation's Ports of Entry."



This report is not brand new, but it addresses an issue that is not being dealt with and represents, in my judgment, as much of a threat to national security as does our porous border that receives so much attention (but inexplicably is still not being secured).



Any nation state that has a seaport or an international airport should be thought of as being a border state, not unlike Canada or Mexico. The 19 terrorists who attacked our country on 9/11 were all admitted into our country through ports of entry. I can tell you from my personal experience as a former immigration inspector that the job is truly daunting. Inspectors have about one minute to decide whether to admit an alien seeking entry into our country. Back in 1971, our main focus was on keeping out aliens who might seek to take the job of an American citizen or resident alien. This is not the case today.



It’s estimated that 40% of the illegal aliens in our country did not run our nations borders, but were admitted through the inspections process. On May 11, 2006 I testified before a hearing conducted by the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations of the Committee on International Relations on the topic “Visa Overstays: Can We Bar the Terrorist Door?â€