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Monday, October 2, 2006


Don’t Confuse Mexican Immigration with Terrorism

By Jerry Brewer

The way immigration control and reforms are talked about by many today sounds much like a panacea for terrorism issues. But they are not the same, while being quite ambiguous.

Emphasizing the commonalities of the two issues calls upon the current phrase of “secure our borders,” and much of the hype on immigration as a priority to terrorism or war is vested deeply in partisan politics.

Both Republicans and Democrats acquiesce on the fact that immigration is a serious issue and needs attention. However, priorities by the U.S. executive branch of government are cited in the diligent focus on the overall war effort against terrorism.

In affirming the contrast of immigration and terrorism, the contiguous border with Mexico is a tacit fact. Yet the case for imminent threat to the United States from the border with Mexico is yet to be made, albeit through the illicit narcotics trade. The large migration of illegals across our southern border must not be ignored. However, the actuality of terrorists walking across the border, or tanks and vehicles pulling missiles, is indeed remote.

The primary threat from terrorists rests in their small cellular enclaves. History from the attack on 9/11, as well as the London subway bombings, the recent plotting of aircraft bombings in the United Kingdom, and others show the attackers residing in the respective countries of attack. The majority described as homegrown individuals or visiting students, their furtive movements make it unlikely they would chance a rural border crossing.

Tracking a shadowy enemy terrorist cell, that has no country of origin or visible army, requires covert intelligence strategies. Interdicting an enemy operating in secret requires that they be undermined, disrupted, and dismantled. This intrinsic and monumental task of what is essentially referred to as tradecraft, is not performed by military, police, federal troops, or militia.

Tools such as the Patriot Act, signals intelligence (SIGINT), and other electronic interception methods are examples of non-lethal strategies against terrorists and their worldwide associates. SIGINT also includes satellite interception capabilities, all of this intricately synchronized to collect, sift, sort and assemble data in order to proactively disrupt deployments. In contrast, a border strategy would include remote sensors clandestinely placed at chosen locations.

The National Security Agency (NSA) had no SIGINT suggesting al-Qaeda was specifically targeting New York or Washington, D.C., nor even planning an attack on U.S. soil prior to September 11, 2001. However, after examining voluminous files they discovered two intercepted foreign language messages from the day before 9/11. The message was, “The match is about to begin…. Tomorrow is zero hour.” And even it they would have identified the information on time, a lack of supporting intelligence did not allow analysts to connect the dots, nor identify the event or world location for the incident.

In accordance with homeland security border issues — sometimes referred to as “Fortress America,” the mentality, protection and defense related to our southern border requires both vigilance and an intellectual impetus. Contentious issues such as guest worker programs and amnesty for illegals will require more fact-finding and political debate, whereas strong surveillance techniques and successful apprehensions will not. Too, we must not forget that Mexico is an important ally of support throughout the hemisphere, and these issues require diplomacy and sensitivity, as opposed to knee-jerk final decisions.

We must call upon ourselves for unabated decision and resolve on immigration issues and the war on terrorism facing the United States today. The United States must also remove the obstacles to its important tools used to fight the hidden nemesis. Plus indecision only promotes and assists the aggressors and not potential victims. Nations, as well as leaders, can become accomplices to evil and terrorism through inaction.

The sad and frustrating truth is that this nation’s borders will never be fully secured. U.S. Border Patrol personnel are projected to reach a total of 18,000 agents within two years. Defense Department money has been approved for the border in the amount of US$1.8 billion. Some fences have been increased where possible, such as areas near Yuma, Arizona that has three layers of fencing.

However walls and fences are not the solution to stop terrorists, as they are of no consequence to them. Do we spend billions of dollars on their construction? And then we can chase the illegal migrants across the fences and through the tunnels, while the terrorists destroy airplanes and shower parts and bodies all over our cities.


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Jerry Brewer, the Vice President of Criminal Justice International Associates, a global risk mitigation firm headquartered in Miami, Florida, is a guest columnist with MexiData.info. He can be reached via e-mail at Cjiaincusa@aol.com.