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Shocking Report: 3-Quarters of Convicted Terrorists Were Born Abroad

CBN

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WASHINGTON – A startling new government report reveals that three of every four individuals convicted of international terrorism-related charges in U.S. federal courts between September 11, 2001, and December 31, 2016 were foreign-born.

The new report, released Tuesday by the Departments of Homeland Security and Justice, is intended to highlight the need to reform the nation's current immigration system.

The study also uncovered over the same period that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents removed more than 1,700 aliens with national security concerns. 

Furthermore, in 2017, DHS had more than 2,550 encounters with individuals on the FBI terrorist watch list who were traveling to the United States. 

"My top priority as secretary of Homeland Security is to ensure the safety and security of the American people," said Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen. 

"This report is a clear reminder of why we cannot continue to rely on immigration policy based on pre-9/11 thinking that leaves us woefully vulnerable to foreign-born terrorists," she warned, "and why we must examine our visa laws and continue to intensify screening and vetting of individuals traveling to the United States to prevent terrorists, criminals, and other dangerous individuals from reaching our country."

Nielsen says without legislative change, DHS will continue to see thousands of terrorists a year attempt to enter the United States.

"This report reveals an indisputable sobering reality – our immigration system has undermined our national security and public safety," Attorney General Jeff Sessions said.  

"And the information in this report is only the tip of the iceberg," he warned. "We currently have terrorism-related investigations against thousands of people in the United States, including hundreds of people who came here as refugees."

The report was required by Section 11 of President Donald Trump's "Executive Order Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States," which declared that "it is the policy of the United States to protect its citizens from terrorist attacks, including those committed by foreign nationals."

In October, the Trump administration sent Congress a list of legislative priorities that would enhance our national security, such as eliminating the diversity visa lottery and extended family chain migration, funding the wall, closing loopholes in our asylum system, combating visa overstays, and closing other loopholes in existing law that potentially benefit aliens who pose threats to our national security. 

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