3 Out of 4 Terrorists Since 9/11 Are Foreign-Born, but Over Half Are Citizens

About three-fourths of those convicted on terrorism charges since 9/11 are foreign-born—and more than half of them aren’t U.S. citizens, according to a new report from the Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security.

Still, the joint report issued Tuesday finds that prosecutors lodged more than half of all terrorism charges—295 out of 549—against U.S. citizens either by birth or naturalization.

A merit-based immigration system that favors immigrants who are able to fill needed jobs is more likely to attract immigrants who will be successful than does the current family-based system allowing chain migration, a senior Trump administration official told reporters in a conference call.

President Donald Trump favors the merit policy along with stronger border security and an end to the visa lottery system.

More successful immigrants would contribute to the prosperity and security of the country, the senior administration official said.

Though a merit-based system would be economically beneficial, it largely would be disconnected from security, said David Inserra, a policy analyst in homeland security at The Heritage Foundation.

“It depends on how we look at why someone becomes a terrorist. If we think it’s just poor people, then an economic system would change that, but we know that’s not the case,” Inserra, who maintains a database of terror plots against U.S. targets for The Heritage Foundation, told The Daily Signal.

Noting the number of naturalized citizens who become radicalized on the list in the Justice and Homeland Security report, Inserra said the bigger problem is with assimilation.

“If someone comes to the United States and becomes a terrorist 20 years later, that’s not a vetting problem, that’s an...
Read More HERE