Illegal aliens among terrorist plotters arrested in NJ

Chad Groening
OneNewsNow.com
May 10, 2007

An immigration-reform organization says the recent arrest of three illegal aliens involved in an alleged terrorist plot against American soldiers refutes the argument of people who contend that those who enter the U.S. illegally do so only in search a better life. He says the arrest of the three along with others accused of conspiring to massacre U.S. soldiers illustrates the folly of failing to secure the nation's borders.

Six foreign-born Muslims were arrested in all -- the three who were in the country illegally, two whose green cards allowed them to be in the U.S. permanently, and one a U.S. citizen. Federal authorities have charged the six men, all in their 20s, with planning to use grenade launchers and other weapons to kill as many soldiers as possible at Fort Dix, New Jersey. The plot was foiled, however, thanks to an informant who tipped off the FBI.

But Ira Mehlman of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) says there is no telling how many more would-be terrorists are in the United States who have taken advantage of the country's porous borders. "They understand what our vulnerabilities are," he asserts, "and the same open borders that allow busboys and gardeners and other workers to come across the border with impunity are going to be taken advantage of by people who intend to do us severe harm."

Mehlman says authorities were fortunate to catch the illegal aliens involved in the alleged terrorist plot this time. "We got lucky. We caught three of them," he notes, "but if there are three of them here, you can count on the fact that there are many, many more. And next time, we might not be as lucky. Next time, unfortunately, there may be many dead people as a result."

If this incident does not get the government's attention and force the authorities "to focus on their primary responsibility to protect the interests, to protect the security of this country, then I don't know what will," Mehlman says. In any event, he contends, it is clear that not all illegal aliens come to America just to find work and a better life, as their advocates claim.

Court records say that several of the Muslim men who were arrested said they were ready to kill and die "in the name of Allah," but news reports state there is no direct evidence connecting them to any international terror groups such as al Qaeda.