The arrest late last week of a Moroccan man suspected of seeking to detonate explosives at the U.S. Capitol highlights not only the threat of terrorism but the danger of lax policies against illegal immigration.
The suspect, Amine El Khalifi, came to the United States on a tourist visa. But authorities say he remained in this country illegally for years after the visa had expired.
El Khalifi was arrested in an FBI sting. Fortunately, he had obtained the explosives as part of the sting, and the weapons were not actually operable, according to a counterterrorism official.
But this alarming case points again to the lack of judgment the Obama administration has shown in relaxing enforcement of laws against illegal immigration.
The administration has ordered a review of the cases of hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens who have been detained. A large percentage of those potentially will now be released back into society if they have not committed serious crimes since they came to the United States.
That permissive policy is wrong in principle, but it also makes it easier for illegal aliens with hidden terrorist motives to remain in this country. Of the possibly hundreds of thousands of unlawful immigrants whom the administration plans to set free, it is not unreasonable to suspect that a few may have terrorist aims, even if they have done a good job of keeping that a secret.
And the bigger point is, once illegal aliens have been detained, they should be processed and deported -- humanely but promptly. Turning them loose is demoralizing to the law enforcement officers who caught them in the first place and shows stunning disregard for the rule of law.