By Brandon Moseley
Alabama Political Reporter
Friday, July 17, US Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Alabama) issued a written statement following the terrorist attack on American military personnel in Chattanooga.
Senator Sessions wrote, “Four heroes, who nobly served this country and her people, lost their lives in a terrorist attack. We honor their service, mourn their loss, and pray for their families. They are the very finest Americans this nation has to offer, and the heart of our whole nation grieves for their loss.”
Sen. Sessions continued, “There will be much discussion in the coming days about actions which should be taken to better protect the lives of our military personnel, and all Americans, in this age of terrorism. Many different agencies, committees, and experts will be involved. On the Immigration Subcommittee, our mandate is to look at the issues experts have been raising since 9/11 about how our immigration system is vulnerable to terrorism and those seeking to foster radicalization.”
Sen. Sessions said that the assassin, Mohammod Abdulazeez, appears to be an Islamist radical who immigrated to the United States from Kuwait. Abdulazeez later applied for and received US citizenship.
The President of the Citizenship and Immigration Services Council Kenneth Palinkas said, “It is essential to warn the public about the threat that ISIS will exploit our loose and lax visa policies to gain entry to the United States… There is no doubt that there are already many individuals in the United States, on visas—expired or active—who are being targeted for radicalization or who already subscribe to radicalized views… Many millions come legally to the US through our wide open immigration policy every year—whether as temporary visitors, lifetime immigrants, refugees, asylum-seekers, foreign students, or recipients of our ‘visa waiver program’… Our government cannot effectively track these foreign visitors and immigrants… Applications for entry are rubber-stamped… We’ve become the visa clearinghouse for the world.”
In addition to Abdulazeez, Sen. Sessions listed over a dozen legal immigrants who later decided to target Americans. These include: the 9/11 hijackers; the Boston Bombers; a Moroccan national who came to the US on a student visa was arrested for plotting to blow up a university and a Federal court house; 7 Somali-Americans in Minnesota who have recently been charged with trying to join ISIS; an Uzbek refugee living in Idaho who was arrested and charged with providing support to a terrorist organization, in the form of teaching terror recruits how to build bombs; an American citizen whose family is from Syria sentenced for plotting to support ISIS and rob a gun store to kill members of the American military; an immigrant from Syria, who US citizenship before being accused by Federal prosecutors of planning to “go to a military base in Texas and kill three or four American soldiers execution style”; a college student from Somalia who attempted to blow up a Christmas tree lighting ceremony in Oregon; an immigrant from Afghanistan and a legal permanent resident from the Philippines who were convicted for their plan to “join Al Qaeda and the Taliban in order to kill Americans”; an Iraqi immigrant who was arrested for lying to federal agents about pledging allegiance to ISIS and his travels to Syria; two immigrants from Pakistan, who later applied for and received US citizenship, were sentenced to decades-long prison sentences for plotting to detonate a bomb in New York City; and an immigrant from Yemen who was arrested for trying to join ISIS and charged with attempting to illegally buy firearms to try to shoot American military personnel.
Sen. Sessions wrote that, “A 2005 Center for Immigration Studies highlighted 21 terrorists who immigrated to the United States and later applied for citizenship—20 of those citizenship applications were approved. Since just 2013, news reports have revealed a number of such individuals who were invited into the United States as part of our annual admission of one million new permanent residents, half a million foreign students, 70,000 asylees and refugees, 700,000 foreign workers, and 200,000 relatives of foreign workers.”
Sen. Sessions wrote that, “The events described above do not occur in isolation, but are often part of broader networks, groups, and pockets of radicalization made possible by unwise immigration policy. It is time to affirm some fundamental but forgotten principles that will enhance not only our security but also our social and economic well-being:” “We are under no obligation to admit anyone to the United States. The selection of new immigrants to the United States should be based on what’s in the best interests of the people already living inside the United States. Immigrants selected for admission should be expected to be financially self-sufficient and chosen because they are likely to succeed, thrive, and flourish in the United States. Assimilation is the best policy to ensure both the success of our country and the success of those who arrive in our country. We do both the country and those seeking to enter our country a disservice by failing to promote our language, our laws, and our political customs.”
Sen. Session continued, “We should not admit people in larger numbers than we can reasonably expect to vet, assimilate, and absorb into our schools, communities, and labor markets. It is not compassionate but uncaring to bring in so many people that there are not enough jobs for them or the people already here. As Coolidge said: “We want to keep wages and living conditions good for everyone who is now here or who may come here.””
Sen. Sessions concluded, “Over the last four decades, immigration levels have quadrupled. The Census Bureau projects that we will add another 14 million immigrants over the next decade. It is not mainstream, but extreme, to continue surging immigration beyond all historical precedent. It is time for moderation to prevail, and for us to focus on improving the jobs, wages, and security of the 300 million people already living inside our borders.”
The Americans killed are: Gunnery Sgt. Thomas Sullivan, 40; Staff Sgt. David Wyatt, 35; Sgt. Carson A. Holmquist; Lance Cpl. Squire D. “Skip” Wells, 21, and Petty Officer 2nd Class Randall Smith, 26. Wells is in the Navy, the other four were U.S. Marines.
According to original reporting by Christian Today’s Czarina Ong Protestant evangelist Franklin Graham is now calling for an end to Muslim immigration to the US. Graham said, “We are under attack by Muslims at home and abroad,” he said. “Every Muslim that comes into this country has the potential to be radicalised and they do their killing to honour their religion and Muhammad…Why are we allowing Muslims now? Do you agree? Let your Congressman know that we’ve got to put a stop to this and close the flood gates. Pray for the men and women who serve this Nation in uniform, that God would protect them.”
Senator Jeff Sessions is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Immigration and the National Interest.
