Recent Congressional testimony from current and former government officials has highlighted the increased potential for terrorist attacks in the U.S. due to the unprecedented levels of illegal migration. Additionally, extremist groups in the Middle East are on the rise again as the world becomes increasingly more destabilized.
How real is the threat of terrorism? Can you identify which of these statements is true and which is the lie?
A. Over 7.3 million illegal aliens have entered the United States under this administration, including individuals on the terrorist watchlist.
B. ISIS is resurging in the Middle East.
C. We are successfully addressing the rising threats in Africa.
A. Truth! According to a House Judiciary Committee report, the Biden-Harris administration’s open-border policies have allowed millions of illegal immigrants into the U.S., including 375 individuals on the government’s terrorist watchlist. Over 5.4 million have been released into the country, with an additional 1.9 million “gotaways.”
A “gotaway” refers to an individual who crosses the U.S. border without authorization and evades apprehension by law enforcement, such as Border Patrol agents. These individuals are observed or detected through surveillance methods but are not caught or processed by authorities. “Gotaways” typically include those who manage to slip past security measures and enter the country undetected by border personnel.
Experts warn that this border insecurity has heightened the risk of terrorism, drawing parallels to pre-9/11 security failures. FBI officials have recently raised alarms about the growing threat posed by this border situation.
B. Truth! In July, U.S. Central Command warned that ISIS is on track to more than double its attacks, suggesting the group is trying to rebuild after years of weakened activity. The Islamic State claimed 153 attacks in Iraq and Syria in the first six months of 2024.
There are some estimates that ISIS has between 3,000 and 5,000 fighters in Syria and Iraq. “This year has been the worst since we defeated ISIS,” the co-commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces told the Wall Street Journal in August.
Thankfully, the Islamic State is still nowhere near its strength from a few years ago but such growth is cause for concern.
C. Lie! Earlier this summer, U.S. forces had to formally withdraw from Niger after Nigerien officials ordered our forces to leave. Previously, the U.S. used key air bases in Niger for critical counterterrorism operations. This included a relatively new air base the U.S. military spent over $100 million to build, now abandoned.
Moreover, the presence of U.S. troops in Niger denied and deterred Iran from accessing Niger’s uranium reserves—a critical necessity for their nuclear program.
Bottom line:
No matter how skilled U.S. counterterrorism efforts are, events like the September 11th attacks and Israel’s October 7th tragedy highlight a sobering truth: it only takes one successful attack to cause immense harm.
The sheer number of potential U.S. targets—at home and abroad—is overwhelming, making it impossible to fully protect every location. Even with strong defenses, vulnerabilities remain, and the scale of possible threats far exceeds the ability to guard against each one.
Moreover, the Biden-Harris embrace of appeasement towards autocratic regimes—whether through lifting sanctions, overlooking human rights abuses, or failing to take strong stances on aggressive actions—has emboldened our enemies.
To learn more, read more on The Dangerous Policy of Appeasement on IWF.