http://homelandsecuritynewswire.com/275000-visas-issued-people-terror-prone- countries
Visa control 275,000 visas issued to people from terror-prone countries Published 11 February 2011 Nearly 275,000 entry visas to the United States have been given through 2009 to individuals from countries like Yemen, Pakistan, Somalia, Iran, and Syria -- defined by the State Department as states which sponsor terrorism or in which terrorists enjoy relative free movement; it is estimated that of the 12 to 15 million undocumented aliens in the United states, between 4 and 5 million are visa overstays; DHS has only 272 agents to look for these 4 or 5 millions who disappeared after entering the United States This September marks the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks. All the hijackers were in the United States legally with visas issued by the State Department. Atlanta's WSBTV reports <http://www.wsbtv.com/news/26779969/detail.html> that its investigation into how many visas the department still is issuing to people from nations that support radical Islam has revealed disturbing facts. * Faisal Shahzad, born in Pakistan, is charged with attempting to set off a car bomb in Times Square. * Syed Haris Ahmed, born in Pakistan, a former Georgia Tech student, was convicted of plotting terror attacks against the U.S. * Mohamed Mohamud, born in Somalia, is charged with planning an attack on a Christmas Tree lighting ceremony last year in Portland, Oregon. All three have one thing in common. All are naturalized U.S. citizens from terror-prone nations. "This is one of our weakest points in homeland security," said Brigitte Gabriel, a terrorism expert who grew up in the Middle East. "Terrorists are not only sneaking through illegally, but they are coming here legally and trying to cause mayhem in our country." While the TSA searches Americans at the airport, the state department has been handing out hundreds of thousands of visas to people from nations on the TSA list of terror-prone countries. Nearly 275,000 visas have been given through 2009 from places like Yemen, Pakistan, Somalia, Iran, and Syria. Gabriel thinks it's madness. "We gave 20,000 visas to Yemen, 60,000 visas to Pakistan, 30,000 to Saudi Arabia and 15 of the 19 hijackers came from Saudi Arabia," said Gabriel. "And we are dishing out visas to nations like Saudi Arabia." WSBTV found there are glaring loopholes in the visa program. The U.S. issues visa waivers to a number of countries they consider to be "friendly nations." For example, any citizen from Germany or England can come here with just a passport. Richard Reid, the shoe bomber, as a Londoner, had a visa wavier. He simply boarded a plane with his passport. Terrorists have fooled the State Department repeatedly. Most are well-educated from good families. The Christmas Day underwear bomber is the son of a Nigerian diplomat. Sept. 11 terrorist Mohammed Atta was a graduate student. The Times Square bomber was an accountant. Once in the United States, it is seemingly easy for aliens to overstay their visas and disappear. Georgia congressman Phil Gingrey said changes in immigration law must happen for security. "The total number of illegal immigrants if the number is 15 million, probably 5 million of those are visa overstays, not people who sneaked across the southern border," he said. The feds only have 272 agents to look for the millions of people who disappear [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? 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