A potential terrorist attack against the United States is more likely now than at any time since Sept. 11, 2001, according to Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas).
“In my judgment, the risk of a serious terrorist attack in the United States is right now greater than it has been any time since September 11,” Mr. Cruz warned on his “Verdict with Ted Cruz” podcast, which aired on Friday.
The Texas senator said “a confluence of a number of factors” has made the United States vulnerable, but none more critical than the consequences of the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel and the Biden administration’s border policies.
“One, obviously, the most significant war in Israel in 50 years, the most significant attack on Israel in 50 years,” Mr. Cruz said.
He added, “Number two, 2 1/2 years of open borders on our southern border, 7.6 million people coming in illegally, including a very significant number of people on the terror watch list, and an exposure that there could be a significant number of terrorists from countries in the Middle East who have come into this country in the past 2 1/2 years.”
Since Hamas terrorists launched an attack on Israel on Oct. 7, the Israel-Hamas conflict has claimed over 3,000 lives on both sides, according to the Associated Press. Meanwhile, 29 Americans are confirmed dead while 15 are unaccounted for, according to the State Department.
Mr. Cruz’s warning comes as reports that customs and border officials have apprehended multiple individuals from Lebanon and Syria at the southern border in Texas in recent days.
In fiscal year 2023, border officials apprehended 151 illegal immigrants who were on the FBI’s terrorism watchlist at the southern border. The number is at an all-time high, up from 98 in fiscal year 2022 and 15 in fiscal year 2021.
“What worries me much more is how many people on the terror watch list are among the ‘gotaways,’” Mr. Cruz said, referring to illegal immigrants who were not apprehended. Compared to illegal immigrants who voluntarily turn themselves in to border agents, the senator explained that gotaways are more likely to have “seriously dangerous characteristics,” individuals that could be convicted murderers, convicted rapists, gang members, or “terrorists coming to America with the intention of committing acts of terror.”
Mark Morgan, former Customs and Border Protection commissioner, told Newsmax earlier this month that there have been 1.6 million gotaways at the southern border in the past 32 months.
“It certainly seems that this White House and this administration learned nothing from 9/11. Because they’re setting up conditions for another 9/11,” Mr. Cruz said. “And it’s worth noting that this horrific terror attack, this act of war carried out by Hamas in Israel, it’s the worst attack on Israel in 50 years. It’s Israel’s 9/11. But it is also an American terror attack.”
Legislation
The Department of Homeland Security, in its threat assessment report released last month, warned that “terrorists and criminal actors may exploit the elevated flow and increasingly complex security environment to enter the United States.”
“Among state actors, we expect Iran to remain the primary sponsor of terrorism and continue its efforts to advance plots against individuals in the United States,” the report adds. “Individuals with terrorism connections are interested in using established travel routes and permissive environments to facilitate access to the United States.”
On Oct. 4, the Biden administration, in an about-face on its previous border policy, declared that there was an “immediate need” to expedite the construction of a border wall in southern Texas as the number of illegal immigrants surges. To fast-track the construction, Homeland Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas waived 26 federal regulations.
Dan Stein, president of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), in an op-ed published by Daily Caller on Oct. 12, called on the Democrat-controlled Senate to act.
“Resuming border wall construction is a good first step to regaining control of the border, but it will take time. There is much more that needs to be done that can have an immediate impact on the situation,” Mr. Stein wrote. “Enactment of H.R. 2 would provide immediate relief at our borders and for communities all across the country that are being overwhelmed by this crisis.”
Mr. Stein added, “The Senate, following the lead by the House, now has a green light to prevent the situation from getting even worse.”
The House passed the Secure the Border Act (H.R.2) in May and Mr. Cruz introduced Senate companion legislation (S.2824) to the House bill in September. If enacted, the legislation would resume construction of the border walls, tighten asylum standards, and increase the number of border patrol agents, among other things.
Mr. Cruz responded to Mr. Stein’s call on X, saying the legislation offers “a real resolution” to the border crisis.
“Biden took the most successful Border policies we’ve had in modern history and scrapped them the moment he stepped into the Oval Office. We need a real solution, not window dressing, which is why I’m proud to lead the Secure the Border Act in the Senate, alongside 30 co-sponsors,” Mr. Cruz wrote.
From The Epoch Times
