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MEXIDATA . INFO
Column 100206 Brewer

Monday, October 2, 2006

Don’t Confuse Mexican Immigration with

Terrorism

By Jerry Brewer

The way immigration control and reforms are talked

about by many today sounds much like a panacea for
terrorism issues. But they are not the same, while
being quite ambiguous.

Emphasizing the commonalities of the two issues calls

upon the current phrase of “secure our borders,” and
much of the hype on immigration as a priority to
terrorism or war is vested deeply in partisan politics.

Both Republicans and Democrats acquiesce on the fact

that immigration is a serious issue and needs attention.
However, priorities by the U.S. executive branch of
government are cited in the diligent focus on the overall
war effort against terrorism.

In affirming the contrast of immigration and terrorism,

the contiguous border with Mexico is a tacit fact. Yet
the case for imminent threat to the United States from
the border with Mexico is yet to be made, albeit
through the illicit narcotics trade. The large migration
of illegals across our southern border must not be
ignored. However, the actuality of terrorists walking
across the border, or tanks and vehicles pulling
missiles, is indeed remote.

The primary threat from terrorists rests in their small

cellular enclaves. History from the attack on 9/11, as
well as the London subway bombings, the recent
plotting of aircraft bombings in the United Kingdom,
and others show the attackers residing in the respective
countries of attack. The majority described as
homegrown individuals or visiting students, their furtive
movements make it unlikely they would chance a rural
border crossing.

Tracking a shadowy enemy terrorist cell, that has no

country of origin or visible army, requires covert
intelligence strategies. Interdicting an enemy operating
in secret requires that they be undermined, disrupted,
and dismantled. This intrinsic and monumental task of
what is essentially referred to as tradecraft, is not
performed by military, police, federal troops, or militia.

Tools such as the Patriot Act, signals intelligence

(SIGINT), and other electronic interception methods are
examples of non-lethal strategies against terrorists and
their worldwide associates. SIGINT also includes
satellite interception capabilities, all of this intricately
synchronized to collect, sift, sort and assemble data in
order to proactively disrupt deployments. In contrast, a
border strategy would include remote sensors
clandestinely placed at chosen locations.

The National Security Agency (NSA) had no SIGINT

suggesting al-Qaeda was specifically targeting New York
or Washington, D.C., nor even planning an attack on
U.S. soil prior to September 11, 2001. However, after
examining voluminous files they discovered two
intercepted foreign language messages from the day
before 9/11. The message was, “The match is about to
begin…. Tomorrow is zero hour.” And even it they
would have identified the information on time, a lack of
supporting intelligence did not allow analysts to connect
the dots, nor identify the event or world location for the
incident.

In accordance with homeland security border issues —

sometimes referred to as “Fortress America,” the
mentality, protection and defense related to our
southern border requires both vigilance and an
intellectual impetus. Contentious issues such as guest
worker programs and amnesty for illegals will require
more fact-finding and political debate, whereas strong
surveillance techniques and successful apprehensions
will not. Too, we must not forget that Mexico is an
important ally of support throughout the hemisphere,
and these issues require diplomacy and sensitivity, as
opposed to knee-jerk final decisions.

We must call upon ourselves for unabated decision and

resolve on immigration issues and the war on terrorism
facing the United States today. The United States must
also remove the obstacles to its important tools used to
fight the hidden nemesis. Plus indecision only promotes
and assists the aggressors and not potential victims.
Nations, as well as leaders, can become accomplices to
evil and terrorism through inaction.

The sad and frustrating truth is that this nation’s

borders will never be fully secured. U.S. Border Patrol
personnel are projected to reach a total of 18,000
agents within two years. Defense Department money
has been approved for the border in the amount of
US$1.8 billion. Some fences have been increased
where possible, such as areas near Yuma, Arizona that
has three layers of fencing.

However walls and fences are not the solution to stop

terrorists, as they are of no consequence to them. Do
we spend billions of dollars on their construction? And
then we can chase the illegal migrants across the
fences and through the tunnels, while the terrorists
destroy airplanes and shower parts and bodies all over
our cities.

——————————
Jerry Brewer, the Vice President of Criminal Justice
International Associates, a global risk mitigation firm
headquartered in Miami, Florida, is a guest columnist with
MexiData.info. He can be reached via e-mail at
Cjiaincusa@aol.com. jbrewer@cjiausa.org