Immigration issues continue to be front and center in Washington, and for good reason.
The Supreme Court decision affirming the ban on travel to the U.S. from a number of troubled foreign countries is a win for American security. It supports the decision to limit visits by those from countries that cannot properly vet travelers to make sure they pose no threat once they get here. That most of these countries are predominantly Muslim is an unfortunate but real fact of life in a time when Islamist terrorists continue to advocate acts of violence against the American homeland. For New Yorkers particularly, the shadow of Sept. 11, 2001, still darkens our memories.
Sadly, the forces that attacked then are still at large in the world, and vigilance against them is firmly in the national interest. If we still need proof that terrorism can seep into countries lacking sufficient screening tools, the situation in Europe is instructive. Because of their proximity to turbulent and unstable nations like Syria and Libya, European nations have been particularly hard hit by terrorists, who have attacked with knives, guns and even vehicles, with deadly results.
The perilous situation in Europe is quickly coming to a head in places like Germany, Italy and France. A recent report by Bloomberg News painted a troubling picture of the spike in criminal activity in Germany attributable to recently arrived immigrant groups. It seems that these groups too often bring the violent ways of their former countries with them to Germany. The result has been a predictable backlash against immigration there.
Closer to home, America’s southern border continues to be a focus of an ongoing struggle to prevent criminal elements from overwhelming the U.S. immigration system. This problem isn’t new, but the situation isn’t getting better. In the whirl of negative publicity about families detained and separated at the Mexican border, the frenzied U.S. press overlooked the fact that similar scenes had played out during President Obama’s administration. In fact, one widely distributed photo of young children huddled in a fenced-in holding areas turned out to be from the Obama era, not 2018. All of which simply shows that the immigration flood is not a partisan issue limited to the current administration. It’s been with us for a long time, and there are no signs it’s going away any time soon.