Over the past week, many in the United States have expressed shock and outrage over the Biden administration’s handling of the Taliban’s swift takeover of Afghanistan. The world has seen how unprepared our commander in chief truly is as American lives hang in balance at Kabul’s airport.
Yet the worst may be still to come for this unfolding nightmare.
The Taliban have released thousands of prisoners on their march through Afghanistan, many of whom are terrorists. These dangerous people are highly motivated to strike back at the U.S. and the West because we helped to overturn their strongholds in the Middle East over the past two decades.
While President Joe Biden has said there would never be a perfect time to withdraw from Afghanistan, this might be the worst time as these terrorists have a soft underbelly to sneak into the U.S. at our southern border. We know that an alarming number of dangerous criminals, gang members, and some terrorists have already crossed into our country this year, and soon we may have these newly released terrorists arriving in the U.S. cities of their choosing.
Moreover, the Afghanistan fallout comes at the same time that former Border Patrol Chief Rodney Scott announced that immigration “is just a cover for massive amounts of smuggling going across the southwest border — to include [known or suspected terrorists] at a level we have never seen before. That’s a real threat.”
Scott’s words should chill the bones of all Americans. There are tens of thousands of migrant “gotaways” crossing the southern border every month, and no one knows anything about their intentions or identities. How many terrorists will cross the border into U.S. cities?
The Biden administration has been warned about the consequences of its reckless border and immigration policies by everyone from members of Congress and the intelligence community to our state governors and law enforcement agencies. It doesn’t care. Biden’s team has refused even to acknowledge the crisis at the border. It has fought all efforts from states, especially Arizona, to hold the administration accountable to the rule of law and to the Constitution.
Biden’s own Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas recently admitted to Border Patrol agents that “if our borders are the first line of defense, we’re going to lose, and this is unsustainable.” The Biden administration knows what it is doing to this nation.
The Biden administration’s dereliction of duty and complete disregard for the rule of law has brought record-breaking numbers of undocumented migrants from around the world to our border. The summer months have historically been a time where illegal immigration has subsided — but not this year. It’s the exact opposite. Illegal immigration has skyrocketed. Illicit drugs have poured into countless communities. Criminals, terrorists, and gang members have been apprehended at our southern border.
For all the criticism Biden has received over his handling of the debacle in Afghanistan, he deserves even more for what he has done, and continues to do, to our southern border and to the security of our communities.
That’s why I have fought since the beginning of the Biden administration against his unlawful border and immigration policies. I am not willing to stand aside as he and his radical allies trash our Constitution and compromise the present and future security of our nation. My office has been actively involved with litigation against the administration, and we will continue to fight them on behalf of innocent Arizonans, and Americans, who rely on our government to protect their families and communities.
The Biden administration alone is responsible for its radical, open-borders policies that are so dangerous for our children and grandchildren. It breaks my heart that anyone in that position of authority would intentionally leave our borders open for terrorists, gang members, and hardened criminals to enter our nation. I pray that the people will not suffer the full consequences of our leaders’ unconscionable actions.
Mark Brnovich is the attorney general of Arizona.
