Iraqi Extremists Promising Attack Could Slip Through Mexican Border
SOUTH TEXAS (KRLD) -- There are concerns that the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria -- an extremist group that has already captured several large cities in Iraq and is bearing down on Baghdad -- could be responsible for the next 9/11 style terror plot on U.S. soil.
"This jihadist group ISIS and it's leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi have promised direct confrontation with America, " says Congressman Ted Poe (R-Houston). "He is looking forward to that day and he has said that publicly, we should believe him when he says that. These folks hate everything about the United States."
Sen. Lindsey Graham, (R- South Carolina) echoed Poe's remark, saying on CBS' "Face the Nation" Sunday that U.S. officials have warned the next major attack on U.S. soil could emanate from the region.
"The seeds of 9/11s are being planted all over Iraq and Syria," Graham said. "They want an Islamic caliphate that runs through Syria and Iraq...and they plan to drive us out of the Mideast by attacking us here at home."
And Poe thinks the likely way ISIS will get into the U.S. to commit a terror attack will be through the Texas-Mexico border.
"Of course the way they would come to the United States would be through the porous border with Mexico. The drug cartels will bring people into the country no matter who they are -- for money," says Poe. "Everyone in the world knows that the border between the United States and Mexico is completely porous."
Poe thinks the way to prevent such an attack would be to secure the border. "And we should secure the border by putting the National Guard on the border so people don't cross into the United States without permission."
He adds, "National security does not start overseas; it starts at the border between the U.S. and Mexico."
In Texas, plans have already been laid out to decrease the surge of illegal immigrants and try to secure the border by deploying the DPS, but Governor Rick Perry's office says there are still not enough resources.
"The issue here is inadequate federal resources on the border," says Lucy Nashed with the Governor's Office. "We are working with the Department of Public safety to identify options that can be taken immediately to address this crisis... This is a federal issue under federal jurisdiction, and while we will continue to commit resources to keep Texas communities safe, the ultimate solution needs to come from Washington, D.C."
"Texas has already put hundreds of millions of dollars into personnel and resources to fill in where the federal government has failed. Gov. Perry has signed on to a letter with Lt. Gov. Dewhurst directing DPS to conduct a border surge operation in the coming months. This letter is awaiting approval from Speaker Straus."
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