Terrorist Threat in Canada/ Mexico

Terrorist Threat in Canada/ Mexico

InsideDefense.com, February 20, 2009 -- Military officials believe Canadian immigration policies are creating a "favorable" environment for what the U.S. government deems to be potential terrorists seeking entry into the United States from the north, according to an internal briefing crafted by a U.S. Northern Command joint task force.

Officials at the Joint Task Force-North believe a “large population” of so-called special-interest aliens, or SIAs, in Eastern Canada presents the “greatest potential for foreign terrorists' access to the homeland,” according to a Jan. 15 briefing available on the organization's Web site until recently.

Specifically, U.S. military officials worry about “special-interest aliens” from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Egypt who could find a “favorable” environment in the Canadian immigration system, the briefing slides indicate.

Task force employees removed a link to the briefing file from the Web site's “reading room” section on Wednesday, arguing the document had been published inadvertently. The briefing is unclassified. Some portions are marked “for official use only” (FOUO) and “law enforcement sensitive” (LES).

Joint Task Force-North, headquartered at Ft. Bliss, TX, is charged with supporting federal law enforcement agencies in counterterrorism and anti-smuggling operations.

The task force's assertions could present a point of friction between Washington and Ottawa, although it is unclear whether Canadian security officials would contest the JTF-North findings.

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Date / Time: 2/22/2009 12:58 PM

DOD Officials See Terrorist Threat to America Brewing in Canada

With islamist compounds scattered through out the NE, one in downtown Buffalo NY,  the following statement should scare everyone in the US. While forces are zeroed in on the southern border, islamists are entering into the US from the north. While there have been calls on Al-Jezzera by islamists to enter through Mexico ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHCCgS9enyw ), it is more conceivable they will come in legally through the northern border. 

"In the eastern area of the Great Lakes, including the stretch of Canada north of New York, Vermont and New Hampshire, JTF-North officials see the “largest presence” of “support networks and extremist organizations,” thus creating “foreign terrorist opportunities,” or FTOs." -- Sebastian Sprenger

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FBI Director Vindicates Visa Waiver Criticisms By CT Blog Experts

By Andrew Cochran

Today, in a speech at the Council on Foreign Relations, FBI Director Robert Mueller gave official credence to the warnings voiced here by Michael Cutler and Bill West of the Visa Waiver Program. While discussing the threat of Mumbai-like attacks in the U.S., Director Mueller told the crowd, "Today, we still face threats from al Qaeda. But we must also focus on less well-known terrorist groups, as well as homegrown terrorists. And we must consider extremists from visa-waiver countries, who are merely an e-ticket away from the United States."

I should give Director Mueller credit; today isn't not the first time he's warned that the Visa Waiver Program is a giant security hole - it's actually the second. Last August, at the 5th Annual Border Security Conference in El Paso, he said, "It is sobering to realize that a terrorist in a visa-waiver country may be just a plane ticket away from the United States—or that a violent gang member may cross the border from Mexico and end up in Michigan. Yet this is today’s reality."

Yes, it is. But it's been a reality to us on this site, especially to our two former senior federal agents who worked customs and immigration cases, for four years. In fact, four years ago yesterday, Michael posted this when discussing homegrown terrorist Ahmed Omar Abu Ali: "It is safe to assume that there are other individuals living in other countries who are similarly related to Al Qaeda but who acquired citizenship in countries that participate in the Visa Waiver program, either by being born in those countries or by having been naturalized. There are 27 such countries plus Canada. This is why, given the on-going "War on terror" the Visa Waiver program needs to be terminated to provide our officials better opportunities to more effectively screen aliens who seek admission into the United States." You can read all of Michael's posts and Bill's posts on this topic.

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