On May 24, 2007, Andrew Speaker, a US citizen infected with extensively drug resistant tuberculosis (XDR TB) entered the US from Canada via the border crossing at Champlain, New York, despite a flag that was placed on his passport by officials. According to authorities at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Speaker was also placed on a no-fly list that was provided to all border guards in an attempt to apprehend the traveler due to the risk he posed to public health.
DHS officials have indicated that the border guard who inspected Speaker disregarded a warning that appeared after his passport was run through a computer, which included instructions to detain Speaker, wear protective gear when speaking with him, and immediately notify health authorities. The unidentified border guard later explained that Speaker did not appear to be unhealthy and that he believed that the computer warning was “discretionary.”
The incident highlights the significant vulnerabilities that remain regarding the US border system, and exposes the potential for other disease-carrying travelers to enter the country, as well as for extremists to exploit these weaknesses in order to carry out an attack against the US.
Threat from the US-Mexican border
Concern has continued to increase in recent years among government officials about the potential use of the US-Mexican border by terrorists as a potential entry point into the US. There are several loopholes in the current system that could be exploited by terrorists to enter the country.
“Other than Mexicans”
The US separates illegal Mexican migrants, who are automatically turned away at the country’s borders, from citizens of other countries, referred to as “other than Mexicans” or “OTMs,” who are often allowed to enter the US pending immigration hearings. Of these OTMs, the US focuses on those who are from thirty-five “special interest” countries, or those that support or house terrorist groups.
The number of OTMs illegally crossing the US border has grown steadily in recent years. According to US Border Patrol statistics, 30,147 OTMs were detained by authorities attempting to enter the US in 2003, with the number rising dramatically to 108,025 OTMs apprehended in 2006. This vast increase in OTMs attempting to enter the US heightens the possibility for a potential extremist to evade authorities and enter the country, as federal law enforcement officials estimate that only 10 to 30 percent of illegal aliens are apprehended while attempting to cross the border.
According to testimony by the Federal Bureau Investigation (FBI), officials are aware of individuals from countries with ties to al-Qaeda who have attempted to enter the US using false identities. Several of these individuals changed their Islamic surnames to Hispanic names in an attempt to conceal their origin. For example, in 2006 several Pakistanis were detained along the US-Mexican border carrying fake Venezuelan documents. Additionally, intelligence reports have indicated that law enforcement officials have located items along the southern border that exhibit potential ties to terrorist groups, such as a jacket with Arabic military badges reading “way to eternal life” and showing a lion’s head with wings and a parachute emerging from the animal.
Smuggling networks and organized gangs
Recent reports have indicated that there is growing cooperation between Mexican drug cartels, illegal alien smuggling networks, and US gangs. Mexican drug cartels operate sophisticated networks that are active along the US border, using military grade weapons, technology, and advanced intelligence. These cartels are increasingly coordinating with smuggling networks, who often pay fees to use the cartels “safe” routes to enter the US. Furthermore, Mexican cartels are frequently using diversionary tactics to conceal their cargo by assisting in smuggling 50 or more illegal aliens into the US, in an attempt to divert the attention of border patrol agents away from other routes that they plan to use to bring large amounts of drugs into the country.
Extremists may potentially exploit these smuggling networks to seek entry into the US. In September 2004, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials arrested Neeran Zaia and Basina Sesi. Zaia was the head of a smuggling organization that focused on transporting individuals from Iraq, Jordan, and Syria into the US. The investigation revealed that individuals were first smuggled from the Middle East to staging areas in South and Central America. Officials have indicated that in the course of the investigation, the organization smuggled at least 200 illegal immigrants into the country.
US House of Representatives votes to delay passport rules
On June 15, 2007 the US House of Representatives voted in favor of delaying requirements for US citizens to have passports to re-enter the country by land or sea from Mexico, Canada, Bermuda, and the Caribbean from January 2008 to June 2009. The Senate is expected to vote on the delay in mid-July. The decision followed an announcement by the US State Department temporarily waiving passport requirements for air travel from the same countries, provided individuals can show that they have applied for a passport, due to significant delays in processing new applications. However, DHS is attempting to fight the decision by Congress, stating that the requirements were put in place to further secure the country’s borders and that any delay will put the US at further risk.
In light of the numerous concerns regarding the current vulnerabilities of US borders, added security measures, to include the passport requirements for regional travel, are essential in addressing this threat and adequately protecting the country from an attack. Further efforts must be made to secure US borders, as it is likely that extremists will continue to look for avenues to exploit the border system in order to smuggle operatives into the country for use in activities against the US.