A Texas congressman today demanded a hearing based on recent reports that Islamic terrorists embedded in the United States are teaming with Mexican drug cartels to fund terror networks overseas.
Rep. John Culberson, Texas Republican, said the Drug Enforcement Agency document — first reported in today's editions of The Washington Times — revealed startling evidence that Islamic radicals are camouflaging themselves as Hispanic persons while conducting business with violent drug-trafficking organizations.
"I have been ringing the bell about this serious threat of Islamic individuals changing their surnames to Hispanic surnames for three to four years," Mr. Culberson said. "Unfortunately, Homeland Security's highest priority is to hide the truth from Congress and the public. I just hope we're not closing the barn door after terrorists have already made their way in."
Go read the rest, at least someone is finally, after YEARS, taking this threat seriously. Now lets see if anything gets done about. [End Update]
Not a big surprise here, but at least it is being acknowledged by the Drug Enforcement Agency now.
From Washington Times:
Islamic extremists embedded in the United States — posing as Hispanic nationals — are partnering with violent Mexican drug gangs to finance terror networks in the Middle East, according to a Drug Enforcement Administration report.
"Since drug traffickers and terrorists operate in a clandestine environment, both groups utilize similar methodologies to function ... all lend themselves to facilitation and are among the essential elements that may contribute to the successful conclusion of a catastrophic event by terrorists," said the confidential report, a copy of which was obtained by The Washington Times.
The 2005 report outlines an ongoing scheme in which multiple Middle Eastern drug-trafficking and terrorist cells operating in the U.S. fund terror networks overseas, aided by established Mexican cartels with highly sophisticated trafficking routes.
These terrorist groups, or sleeper cells, include people who speak Arabic, Spanish and Hebrew and, for the most part, arouse no suspicion in their communities.
"It is very likely that any future 'September 11th' type of terrorist event in the United States may be facilitated, wittingly or unwittingly, by drug traffickers operating on both sides of the United States-Mexico border," the DEA report says.
I do not know how many times we have to scream at the Senate, the Congress and our Administration to secure our damn borders. But we need to continue to yell in their ears about this until they finally listen and get up off their asses and do it.
Rep. Ed Royce of California, ranking Republican on the House Foreign Affairs terrorism and nonproliferation subcommittee, said the DEA document substantiates information that his committee has been given in the past year.
"Hearings I held in Laredo [Texas] last year and this DEA report show that our southern border is a terrorist risk," Mr. Royce said. "Law enforcement has warned that people from Arab countries have crossed the border and adopted Hispanic surnames. The drug cartels have highly sophisticated smuggling and money-laundering networks, which terrorists could access."
Do we really really have a suicide wish or was 9/11 and previous attacks not enough for these people to understand that our borders are our weakest link in National Security?
The JunkYard Blog has an update from SeeDub:
UPDATE by Seedub: Geoff beat me to the punch on this article, which you should really frickin' read because it's got drug dealers and terrorists and WMD's and illegal aliens running who knows what over the Mexican border. Every right wing blogger out there ought to be able to come up with something about this.
I really do know why they are waiting to deal with our border issue, firmly and decisively, once and for all.
Back in 2004, we knew that Mexico was on the lookout for terrorists trying to cross the Mexican border.
HERMOSILLO, Sonora - As concern rises that terrorists could be hidden among thousands of illegal immigrants heading into the United States through Mexico, immigration officers in Sonora find themselves on the front lines.
Let us not forget that in November 2004, we saw that our Feds feared that terrorists would smuggle nuclear and other types of weapon across our open borders.
TUCSON - Authorities are concerned al-Qaida or other terrorist groups could conspire with smuggling organizations to bring weapons of mass destruction across the Arizona border, an immigration official has said.
Fear that terrorists might attempt to bring in nuclear weapons or other terror instruments was one reason U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement was formed after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks - "to try to combat that type of smuggling that could be used by terrorists as well as other criminals," Michael Turner said. Turner oversees the ICE offices in Phoenix and Tucson.
We have also seen in 2006 that terrorists were learning spanish to be able to cross the U.S./Mexico border as well as working with drug cartels.
The Texas Sheriffs' Border Coalition reports that these Muslim men are likely terrorists who are being assisted by the Mexican military and Mexican drug cartels. Also, CNS reports: “Iranian currency, military badges in Arabic, jackets and other clothing are among the items that have been discovered along the banks of the Rio Grande River.”
November of 2006, we even had reports of an al-Qaeda leader telling us that they were smugging in "dangerous materials" across the Mexican border.
According to the Pakistani reporter, Dawood said Brother Adnan "had smuggled some dangerous materials from the Mexican border to inside the United States of America."
"It's the kind of scenario that worries everybody," says Fred Burton, a former special agent for the U.S. State Department.
Burton spent much of his federal career studying terrorists, predicting their next move. He now does the same thing at Stratfor, a private intelligence agency in Austin.
NEWSCHANNEL 5 asked Burton about the threat.
"I think it has to be viewed credible, until proven otherwise," he says.
The former special agent tells us the U.S. government is well aware Al Qaeda's been working hard to get a dirty bomb into the country, an explosive packed with nuclear materials small enough to carry in a suitcase.
Smugglers have been caught 300 times in the past four years trying to sneak in radioactive material, which could be used to make a dirty bomb.
The examples go one and on and on, so I ask again, why are our borders still wide open?
I appreciate that U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell has joined several Republican colleagues in introducing the “Border Security First Act of 2007” as an amendment to the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations bill.
I appreciate that the bill passed, providing $3 billion dollars are being provided for the following:
Operational control over 100% of the U.S.-Mexico land border
23,000 Border Patrol agents hired, trained, and reporting for duty
4 Unmanned Aerial Vehicles & 105 ground-based radar and camera towers
300 miles of vehicle barriers & 700 miles of border fencing
A permanent end to the “catch-and-release” policy with 45,000 detention beds.
What has not been answered is when and if all of this will be applied and done.
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