BY JEAN-MARIE BRALLEY
Concern that ISIS terrorists could enter the US
There is a “real and serious threat” that ISIS terrorists could enter the United States, said Kenneth Palinkas, president of the National Citizenship and Immigration Services Council, in a written statement Sept. 18. According to a Fox News story, Palinkas said terrorists could come into the country through the southern border or through “exploiting … ‘loose and lax’ visa policies.” On the other hand, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said Sept. 17 that there was “no specific intelligence or evidence to suggest at present that ISIS is attempting to infiltrate this country though our southern border.” You can read more about various experts’ and lawmakers’ opinions here.
Lawmakers calling for end to Defense cuts
Both Republican and Democratic lawmakers are calling for an end to Defense cuts in light of international crises, such as the turmoil in Ukraine, the Ebola outbreak in Africa and the increased American strikes against the Islamic State. The cuts, which were a part of sequestration under the 2011 Budget Control Act, measure $487 billion. The diminished funding was lamented by Senator Jim Inhofe, R-Oklahoma, who said last week, “Even before these things [the various crises] erupted it was not adequate.” Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin, D-Michigan, said in recent weeks that “the whole sequestration decision, looking back at it, was wrong.” To read more from Fox News, you can click here.
Radicalized American citizens pose a threat to the U.S.
A recent speech posted on YouTube, Rep. Tim Bishop, D-N.Y., said that as many as 40 radicalized American citizens who are part of the Islamic State are now back in the United States where they could be a threat. He said these individuals are being monitored and are under surveillance by the FBI. Bishop also said that it is believed that there have been up to 100 U.S. citizens who have become radicalized members of the ISIS. Read more here. (http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/09/19/dem-rep-40-american-isis-fighters-have-already-returned-to-united-states/?intcmp=trending. )