Recently, television and newspaper ads have been linking terrorism with immigration. What’s the truth?
The truth is that none of the terrorists who committed the September 11 atrocities entered the US as immigrants. So, limiting lawful immigration to the US will not decrease the risk of terrorism within our borders. The ads, sponsored by a coalition called United to Secure America, focus on newcomers who are playing by the rules. These newcomers are, in fact, the shopkeepers, doctors and engineers around you – families seeking to make better lives for themselves while becoming good citizens. The anti-immigrant message of the coalition is not new – it’s just got a new angle by feeding on our fears of terrorism. The coalition’s members have historically supported English-only legislation, zero population growth and the like. Don’t let them profit from the September 11 tragedies to achieve their purpose of limiting immigration, when immigrants had nothing to do with the abominable tragedies in New York, Pennsylvania and Washington DC.
