How many disasters or near-disasters must the United States suffer before we get serious about fighting illegal immigration?
Some of the hijackers in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks that killed nearly 3,000 Americans were illegal aliens. That ought to have motivated our federal government — to which the Constitution delegates authority to control immigration — to rethink the lax approach it has taken to that duty.
But it apparently didn’t.
You may recall the recent attempted car bombing in Times Square in New York City. Although the key suspect in the case was apparently in this country legally, three more men who have since been arrested in connection with the case are illegal aliens.
Authorities say the men, all from Pakistan, are believed to have provided money to the suspect, Faisal Shahzad. Investigators say it is not yet clear whether the men knew how Shahzad would use the money, and thus far they have been charged with immigration violations but not with criminal acts linked to the attempted Times Square bombing.
But while it is uncertain whether they knew how the money they allegedly provided to Shahzad might be used, what is certain is that the men were not in the United States legally. Two had overstayed their visas. The third had come into the United States across the Mexican border in 1991.
The American people have been extremely clear in their desire for the federal government to enforce immigration law. It is frustrating — and dangerous — that Washington has not acted accordingly.