Gloom-and-doom predictions of environmental devastation won’t stop construction of a border wall. A federal judge appointed by President Barack Obama is clearing the way.
Recent news articles and opinion pieces have blasted President Donald Trump’s promised barrier. Among the headlines:
Border wall would kill natural treasures and change the environment; Congress is quietly letting Trump bulldoze a butterfly refuge to build a border wall; Border wall could divert bears, bighorn sheep from a comeback trail; and Trump’s wall will harm endangered species.
The wall wasn’t implicated in global warming, but overheated opponents are surely working their way up to that.
Meantime, U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel has ruled that the Department of Homeland Security has broad authority to issue waivers to construct border barriers.
“Both Congress and the Executive [branch]share responsibilities in protecting the country from terrorists and contraband illegally entering at the borders. Border barriers, roads, and detection equipment help provide a measure of deterrence against illegal entries,” Curiel wrote in his 101-page decision.
You may remember Curiel as the judge who incurred Trump’s wrath over a class-action suit against Trump University. The Obama appointee got the wall decision right by affirming long-standing case law and constitutional authority.
Lest environmental activists suffer a complete meltdown, Homeland Security officials pledge to proceed with caution.
Deputy DHS Director Elaine Duke says the federal process for obtaining building permits is “way more complicated” than state and local procedures. For example, the feds must go through the courts instead of negotiating directly with local officials.
DHS recognizes the imperative of “Balancing the urgency of the mission’s need with the needs of the people and the environment,” Duke said in January, before Curiel’s ruling.
Sure, there are some environmental implications to the wall, but having millions of people traipsing through the wilderness, leaving tons of trash along the way, is not exactly healthy for the flora and fauna.
NumbersUSA cataloged some of the degradation caused by the influx of illegal aliens crashing America’s southern border. In addition to littering the landscape with everything from soiled diapers and beer cans to rotting food and hypodermic needles, border-busting migrants set fires, cut new “roads” and scatter abandoned vehicles across the southwest desert.
Still, four major environmental groups remain implacably opposed to a border wall. FAIR this month called out green activists for their disconnected and contradictory positions.
“Unchecked immigration policies make it nearly impossible [to]protect and manage the diverse and delicate ecosystems throughout the United States,” FAIR noted. It doesn’t take an environmental scientist to know that effective protection begins at the border.
JIHADIS AND DRUG CARTEL AT OUR BORDER
A nightmare on the horizon.
April 19, 2018
The border that is supposed to separate the United States from Mexico must be made secure.
There is no shortage of compelling reasons why this must happen, and the sooner the better, but today, given the lunacy of Sanctuary Cities and Sanctuary States and the globalist goals of politicians from both political parties, particularly the Democratic Party leadership, rational and reasonable thought processes have been supplanted by greed, corruption and cowardice- fear of upsetting party leaders or fear of alienating deep-pocketed campaign contributors.
Indeed, it is irrational for any leader in the United States to refuse to take whatever measures must be taken to protect America and Americans from the rampant violence, corruption and potential for terrorists to traverse that highly porous border into the United States.
Yet this is precisely the situation that exists today in the United States.
Therefore, today we will consider some of the more compelling facts that demand that, for once and for all, the U.S./Mexican border be secured.
First of all, given the unstable and volatile situation in the Middle East, particularly Syria and U.S.-led military strikes in Syria, undoubtedly Iran and radical Islamists would like to be able to carry out terror attacks within the borders of the United States.
Iran and radical Islamists have a significant presence in Latin America, therefore, all that separates them from us is the U.S./Mexican border.
On April 21, 2017 I wrote an article, Border Security Is National Security in which I referenced an April 12, 2017 Washington Times report, Sharafat Ali Khan smuggled terrorist-linked immigrants.
Khan is a citizen of Pakistan who had established himself as a permanent resident in Brazil and then smuggled numerous illegal aliens from the Middle East into the United States through Mexico. ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) issued a press release about this case,
Foreign national extradited and pleads guilty to human smuggling conspiracy.
That Khan first became a resident of Brazil prior to beginning his smuggling operation is of particular concern.
Terror training camps run by Hamas and Hezbollah are to be found in the Tri-Border region of Brazil (where Brazil abuts with Argentina and Paraguay). While there was no specific mention of Khan making use of those camps, given the nature of his crimes, this is a very real and troubling possibility.
It is also entirely possible that members of ISIS and al-Qaeda are present in those terror training camps.
Concerns about the Tri-Border Region were ably reported on in a paper, Islamist Terrorist Threat in the Tri-Border Region that was published by Jeffrey Fields, Research Associate, Center for Nonproliferation Studies.
Khan is hardly the only alien smuggler who was operating in Latin America and has ties to the Middle East.
In addition to the nexus between Brazil and radical Islamic training camps, Iran routinely flies its Quds Forces, also known as “Shock Troops” into Caracas Venezuela. They are not present in the the Western hemisphere for vacation.
In addition to the threats posed by Middle Eastern terrorists operating in Latin America, we need to also consider the deteriorating situation to be found in Mexico where it has been reported that last year more than 29,000 people were murdered.
On April 11, 2018 the San Diego Union-Tribune report, Studies find record violence costing Mexico billions of dollars included this excerpt:
As fighting between drug trafficking groups drives up violence in Mexico to record levels, a new study released on Wednesday measures the economic impact in 2017 at $249 billion in losses — close to 21 percent of the country’s gross domestic product.
Authors of the study presented at the University of San Diego say that focusing on homicides alone fails to address the broad range of factors that drive the violence, and affect the well being of Mexicans on a multitude of levels.
To bring down the violence will mean addressing issues such as corruption and the weak rule of law, the study states.
* * *
With more than 29,000 murders, last year was Mexico’s most violent year on record, “with the peacefulness in Mexico deteriorating by 10.7 percent,” states the institute’s study, the fifth in a series of annual reports focusing on Mexico.
The study found that the economic impact violence in 2017 “amongst the highest in the world.” The total economic impact of violence “was seven times higher than the education budget in 2017,” according to the report. “A one percent decline in the economic impact of violence would equal the federal government’s investment in activities related to science, technology and innovation last year.”
In an effort to somehow paint a less pessimistic and alarming image of the level of violence in Mexico, the report concluded with the following:
In spite of public perceptions, “Mexico’s violence is ‘average’ for the Western Hemisphere,” according to the USD study, with homicide rates well below those of smaller countries, including Belize, Colombia, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, and Venezuela.
This is no comfort to be found in that last quote. A caravan of citizens of Honduras making its way north through Mexico and headed for the United States, prompted President Trump to deploy National Guard troops along the southern border to augment the U.S. Border Patrol in non-law enforcement capacity- providing support for the Border Patrol as was reported in an April 4, 2018 USA Today report, Trump keeps focus on caravan of Honduran asylum seekers headed to U.S.
It appears that the caravan of Hondurans is being egged on by the government of Honduras, consider that The Arizona Republic reported on April 12, 2018:
Although many migrants traveling in the caravan have decided to remain in Mexico, many still plan to continue on to the U.S. border and apply for asylum, especially the large number of women and children, and a small group of about 25 gay and transgender migrants.
The Honduran ambassador to Mexico, dressed in a suit, tie and dress shoes, joined the migrants in a 9-mile walk from the Honduran embassy in the Condesa neighborhood of Mexico City to the Casa de Peregrino near the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mexican news media reported.
Given the totality of circumstances, the potential exists that criminals such as members of MS-13 and other such violent gangs and members of drug cartels may well infiltrate this and other such caravans.
In point of fact, it is not beyond the realm of possibility that terrorists from the Middle East might also seize the opportunity to infiltrate large-scale smuggling groups to gain entry into the United States, not unlike terrorists in Europe infiltrated refugee flows.
Furthermore, as we have seen in the past, the potential exists that aliens who seek asylum in the United States might actually be such criminals and/or terrorists.
This very topic was the focus of a November 21, 2013 Washington Times news report, Mexican drug cartels exploit asylum system by claiming ‘credible fear.’
The report quoted Bob Goodlatte, the Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee:
“It’s outrageous that members of Mexican drug cartels and others involved in illicit activity are so easily able to exploit our asylum laws and live in the U.S. virtually undetected,” said Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, Virginia Republican.
“Our asylum laws are in place to help individuals who are facing truly serious persecution in their country,” he said. “However, dangerous criminals are gaming the system by claiming they have a ‘credible fear’ of persecution when often they’ve been the perpetrators of violence themselves.”
Concerns about the lack of integrity to this system were the focus of two House Judiciary Committee hearings conducted as a result of Chairman Goodlatte’s concerns.
Of course while one of the hearings focused on how asylum abuse was overwhelming our borders, in reality, asylum abuse is overwhelming the entire immigration system throughout the entire United States of America.
Furthermore, this is not simply a matter of “asylum abuse” but of immigration fraud.
The official report that was authored by the 9/11 Commission Staff, 9/11 and Terrorist Travel noted on page 98:
Terrorists in the 1990s, as well as the September 11 hijackers, needed to find a way to stay in or embed themselves in the United States if their operational plans were to come to fruition. As already discussed, this could be accomplished legally by marrying an American citizen, achieving temporary worker status, or applying for asylum after entering. In many cases, the act of filing for an immigration benefit sufficed to permit the alien to remain in the country until the petition was adjudicated. Terrorists were free to conduct surveillance, coordinate operations, obtain and receive funding, go to school and learn English, make contacts in the United States, acquire necessary materials, and execute an attack.
Those concerns are very much as relevant today as they were at the time of those hearings and at the time that the 9/11 Commission reported its findings.
What more needs to happen before our “leaders” finally act to secure that dangerous border?
Smugglers Using Illegals As Diversion for Sneaking in Higher-Value Contraband
Smugglers are charging illegal aliens to get them into the U.S. safely, then setting them up to be captured in order to create border gaps the smugglers can exploit, the president of the U.S. border agents’ union tells CNSNews.com.
First, the smugglers are running ads in South American countries promising that, for a fee, they’ll help illegals break into the U.S. undetected, National Border Patrol Council President Brandon Judd explains.
The smugglers then coach their illegal alien clients to claim asylum when captured, ensuring they’ll be put in the system, processed and adjudicated, instead of being sent back across the border.
But, instead of dropping them off at a border station where they can claim asylum without arrest, the smugglers send the illegals across the border at places where they know they’ll get caught - thus, diverting border agents and resources, creating security gaps through which the smugglers can safely sneak their contraband into the U.S.
CNSNews.com: Who’s telling them what to say? Who’s coaching them?Brandon Judd: “The smugglers are, and let me be clear on why, and I don’t understand why this hasn’t gotten more attention – the smuggling of human and of illegal contraband is a multi-billion dollar enterprise.“These smugglers could have these asylum-seekers go through our ports of entry, which would be legal for them to do: go to our ports of entry, claim asylum at our ports of entry, but they don’t have them go to our ports of entry.“They have them cross the border illegally because they know we have to devote resources to taking those individuals into custody. And, those resources take border patrol agents out of the field, and it creates gaps in our border, which allows these smuggling organizations to cross their more high-valued products – whether that be criminal aliens, whether that be aliens from special-interest countries, whether that be opioids, whether it be cocaine.”….“They create these gaps by tying up our hands with asylum-seekers and then, right behind us, they bring in these higher-value products.”….“Now, make no mistake: they’re still making money off of these asylum-seekers. What they’re doing is they’re advertising in countries like Honduras, Guatemala, China – they advertise that, if you pay X number of dollars, they’ll get you into the United States.“But, then, when they’re bringing you up to the border, they’re coaching you, and then they, basically give them up, knowing that they’re going to divert our resources, which then creates gaps and allows them to smuggle higher-profit contraband across the border. But, they’re still making a profit off of these individuals.”
PHOTOS: Border Patrol Agents Seize $2.5M in Marijuana in Texas
Border Patrol agents in the Rio Grande Valley Sector stopped the marijuana shipments of two drug smugglers near the Texas border with Mexico. The agents seized more than $2.5 million in marijuana in three separate incidents.
Agents assigned to the Rio Grande City Station observed suspects loading multiple bundles of what appeared to be marijuana into the back of a Toyota SUV on Sunday evening near the border community of Escobares, Texas. As mobile agents arrived on the scene, the driver attempted to evade arrest and carried out what is known as a “splashdown” where he crashed the SUV into the Rio Grande River, according to information provided to Breitbart Texas by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials.
The suspected smuggler jumped into the river and swam back to Mexico to avoid arrest, officials stated.
Agents managed to pull the SUV from the river and recovered 63 bundles of marijuana. The agents weighed the load and determined the 900 pounds of marijuana to be worth an estimated $743,000. Agents seized the drugs and the SUV and turned them over to the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force.
“As we strengthen our network between local, state, and federal partners, we will continue to interdict narcotics and keep them out of our communities,” RGV Sector Chief Patrol Agent Manuel Padilla, Jr. said in a written statement.
One day earlier, agents working near the border town of Los Indios, Texas, observed a vehicle leaving the Rio Grande with its headlights off. As agents approached the vehicle, the driver attempted to flee. His efforts to avoid arrest fell short when his pickup truck crashed into an irrigation pipe.
Agents arrested the driver and seized 22 bundles of marijuana. The drugs weighed nearly 1,700 pounds. Officials estimated the value of the load to be in excess of $1.3 million.
On the previous Thursday, Fort Brown agents came upon a pickup truck that was stuck in a farmer’s field. The vehicle had just been ferried across the river from Mexico. Inside were 24 bundles of marijuana weighing 576 pounds, officials stated. The agents estimated the value of this shipment at approximately $460,000.
In total, the agents seized more than 3,100 pounds of marijuana in the three incidents. The total value of the shipments was estimated to be in excess of $2.5 million.
Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior political news contributor for Breitbart Texas. He is a founding member of the Breitbart Texas team. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX, GAB, and Facebook.
Why the Illegal Alien Pipeline from Bangladesh to Texas is a Warning Sign
For years, experts have been expressing their fears about terrorists sneaking across our border with Mexico. In 2012, the House Homeland Security Committee published a reportnoting that terrorists will inevitably exploit our porous southern border. In its January 2017 Public Safety Threat Overview the Texas Department of Public Safety raised the very same concerns.
However, open-borders advocates deride the notion that terrorists might exploit the ever-present chaos on the southern border as foolish. They claim that since – to date – there have been no terrorist attacks carried out in the U.S. by illegal entrants who crossed the southern border, the threat is low. But data recently released by the Department of Homeland Security indicates that Islamic terror groups may have finally become aware of just how porous our southern border really is.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has announced that the Laredo Border Patrol Sector is, for the second year running, the number one crossing point for Bangladeshi nationals attempting to enter the U.S. Illegally. Since the start of fiscal year 2018, the Laredo Sector has apprehended approximately 171 Bangladesh citizens. And KGNS, Texas, reports that CBP arrested nearly 180 Bangladeshis in the Laredo Sector during fiscal year 2017. Laredo seems to be emerging as the epicenter of a new smuggling route that brings South Asian and Afghan migrants to the United States via Latin America.
Aside from the obvious fact that Bangladesh is a long way from Mexico – sandwiched between Bhutan and India – why is this noteworthy? There are two reasons:
- The Islamic State (ISIS), Al-Qaeda Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), and a number of other extremely violent terrorist groups, are active and recruiting members in Bangladesh. Therefore, there is a strong possibility that among the Bangladeshis attempting to cross the border illegally, some could have ties to terror groups.
- If individuals from Bangladesh are making it to Latin American and sneaking into the United States over the border with Mexico, then other individuals from countries with significant terrorism problems are likely doing the same thing.
As FAIR has repeatedly noted, we are living in an age where national security and immigrationare intimately and inextricably intertwined. After losing most of its physical territory, ISIS is looking to regroup and continue its operations. Al-Qaeda is hoping to regain its position as the world’s pre-eminent jihadist terror organization. And the fastest route to either of those goals is a dramatic, large-scale terror attack in the United States, which is much easier to plan and carry out once a terrorist is inside the U.S.
It’s time for America to get serious about hardening our porous southern border against exploitation by terrorists. We need to build President Trump’s border wall. And we need to build it quickly, before our border begins to look like Europe’s, awash in Middle Eastern “refugees” who are impossible to thoroughly vet.
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