Immigration and National Security

The impact of immigration and border-control policies on the national security of the United States. The relationship between immigration and national security has become an increasingly important issue for the United States following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The fact that the attacks were carried out by foreign nationals residing in the United States called into question the ability of the U.S. government to secure the nation's borders against terrorist threats.

Although the United States takes pride in being a nation of immigrants, public sentiment regarding immigration has often been driven by other factors, most notably economics. In times of economic expansion, immigrants are seen as an inexpensive and flexible labor source. Conversely, in times of recession, immigrants are often viewed more negatively and perceived as taking jobs away from Americans. [Page 346]

United States Border Patrol agents arresting Mexicans attempting to enter the United States illegally in the hills between Tijuana, Mexico, and San Diego, California. Since the nation's founding, immigrants have come to the United States seeking greater freedom and opportunities. Although most have come legally, illegal immigration, particularly from Mexico, has proven to be a vexing and complicated problem that has challenged the resources of federal and local officials.

Corbis.

The terrorist attacks of September 11 raised another aspect of immigration—the potential for immigration to be a threat to national security. Such a concern has not been so strongly felt since the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941. Shortly after that attack, the U.S. government put thousands of Japanese immigrants and U.S. citizens of Japanese descent into internment camps because the government feared they were a threat to U.S. national security.

Following September 11, damaging information emerged that suggested that many of the terrorists had slipped through an inefficient immigration system. Some had entered the United States as students yet did not pursue their studies; some had overstayed their visas; and some were known to be connected to terrorist organizations yet were allowed entry. The administration of President George W. Bush, fueled in part by rising anti-immigrant sentiment among the American public, responded by making significant changes to U.S. immigration policy. Most notably, the administration moved oversight of immigration from the Department of Justice to the newly created Department of Homeland Security, a clear signal that immigration was no longer merely a social or economic issue but critical to U.S. national security.

The main concern about the immigration system is the fear that immigrants, particularly those of Middle Eastern descent, may be establishing terrorist cells within the United States and planning to attack America again. Other concerns include the bureaucratic inefficiency in the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS). Critics contend that the INS has allowed hundreds of thousands of foreigners to stay past the expiration of their visas or to remain in the United States for reasons other than those specified on their visas. Additional security concerns include the difficulty of adequately staffing the border patrols at the Mexican and Canadian borders. As the government is unable to monitor all border activity, the possibility for unauthorized entry of terrorists remains. Criticism of the INS led to a reorganization of the agency into the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services (BCIS).

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