July 1, 2011, - 5:56 am
Israel SHOULD Be On ICE Terrorist Screening List: Conservative Media Lie About Illegal Alien Checks
I’ve been a frequent critic of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), but now, I have to defend it against a scurrilous lie perpetrated by most in the echo chamber that is the right-wing blogosphere: that Obama and ICE put Israel on a terrorist list as a country that promotes terrorism. Never happened. It’s a complete lie. And this isn’t just a case of “crying wolf,” it’s far worse because it’s an attack on important national security measures that ICE took against Arab Muslims from Israel who come here to perpetrate Islamic terrorism.
Conservative Blogosphere Needs to Stop Lying About Israel & ICE Terrorist Screening List
The falsehood is among several stories that are total lies are making the rounds, and predictably the group-think sheeple on the right buy into the falsehoods, without a second of critical thinking and analysis. Another is the WorldNutDaily fabrication, claiming that Delta agreed to Saudi rules and refuses to fly Jews. Totally false. Delta doesn’t even fly there. More about that in another post. Back to the latest is the story claiming that Obama’s ICE put Israel on a list of “countries promoting terrorism.” Absolute bunk. Not true.
The story, by the incompetent, often-fabricating Conservative News Service (which also published as fact, with zero evidence, Sean Hannity’s claim he paid for the private planes for his Freedom Concerts, when he did not and couldn’t produce any proof). This BS story about Obama adding Israel to this alleged terrorist list was regurgitated by frequent fabricator Scamela Geller, the car loan fraud scamming multi-millionairess who used Muslim straw buyers in her scheme and whose one honest employee (who was talking to police) was suddenly murdered. Not only is the story about Israel on a terrorist list complete baloney, but BS stories like this are hurting the scant few efforts the Obamaniks are actually making to screen Islamic terrorists. Clearly neither of these parties–nor Glenn Beck’s “The Blaze” and NewsMax, both of which joined car loan defrauder Geller in repeating the false story–know how to read.
Here’s the real story: ICE detains illegal aliens and deports them through its Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) division. ICE has a terrorist database it uses to screen aliens it arrests , known as the Terrorist Watchlist screening. Again, these are used on aliens who are non-detained (arrested, but not jailed–they are later release, thus “non-detained”). But detained aliens from Specially Designated Countries, mostly Muslim countries–and now, Israel–are screened through an additional list–the Third Agency Check (TAC). (In Fiscal Year 2009, there were only 1,521 such aliens detained–that means, arrested and jailed inside the U.S.–who were screened against this third list.) Again, this extra screening is not applied to any people from these countries when they enter the U.S. legally. It’s only applied to aliens that ICE agents arrest and keep in jail (detention), which is a paltry number–again, in 2009, only 1,521.
The list of the Specially Designated Countries (SDCs) appeared in a recently released report from the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of the Inspector General, entitled “Supervision of Aliens Commensurate with Risk.” And while it’s true that the report describes the countries on the list–most of which are Muslim nations–as countries “that have shown a tendency to promote, produce, or protect terrorist organizations or their members,” that’s not why Israel is on the list. It’s on the list because of the large number of Israeli Arabs who have Israeli citizenship and passports, but who identify with the Palestinians and support and/or are part of Islamic terrorist groups. Should we not have extra screening for those people merely because they have Israeli documents? Only if you’re a moron. . . or a jihadist.
It’s not like the government can write on the document, we will screen only Israeli Arabs and Muslim detained aliens and not Jews. That would result in a million ACLU and CAIR Action Network lawsuits. But how many Jews from Israel do you think enter the U.S. illegally and are arrested and detained by ICE agents? ICE only “detains”–that is, arrests and long-term jails–dangerous aliens who have criminal records with violent crimes and/or terrorism.
We know that there are plenty of Muslim Arabs who have Israeli citizenship who come to America with Israeli passports and documents, yet they identify as and with “Palestinians.” Some have been caught planning terrorist attacks and/or have been involved in other crimes, including money-laundering, etc. Some come here to raise money for and/or engage in planning for terrorist attacks on Jews and Christians back in Israel, and Israel wants to know their whereabouts. Now, they will be checked as carefully as those from the other Muslim countries on the list. This is a good thing. The only scary thing is that in Fiscal Year 2009, only 1,521 detained aliens were subject to that additional screening, when we know there are far more detained illegal aliens who should get that screening. Frankly, I think every alien–especially every Muslim and/or Arab alien–regardless of whether they are detained or whether they are from the countries on ICE’s list, should be checked against the additional list. A Muslim from Great Britain can be as or even more dangerous than one from Kuwait. Just ask the Shoe Bomber, Richard Reid.
So, I guess Scamela Geller and her fellow morons at Conservative News Service, NewsMax, and The Blaze don’t want us to screen Arab Muslims with Israeli passports–the paltry few of them that we actually have the guts to capture, arrest, AND detain on U.S. soil. An “Israeli” Arab who was an exchange student at a Florida high school openly endorsed jihad and threatened his classmates, writing “Death to America” on the blackboard. An Arab–though not Muslim–from Israel, Elias Abuelazam, was finally caught after he committed several stabbings as a serial killer in Flint, Michigan, last year. Hany Abu-Assad, an Arab Muslim who directed the pro-HAMAS homicide bomber movie, “Paradise Now,” has an Israeli passport. There are several past and present Arab Members of the Israeli Knesset who openly support HAMAS and Hezbollah attacks on Israel and call for its destruction, including Haneen Zoabi. When he was a Knesset Member, Azmi Bishara spied on Israel for Hezbollah. These are just a few examples of the kinds of people who come out of Israel who SHOULD be subject to extra screening, just as Arabs from Jordan are.
But thanks to these morons on the right who simply refuse to read the actual text of the Homeland Security report because it would contradict their hysterical, deliberate lies and propaganda, Homeland Security and ICE might buckle. And every Mohammed with an Israeli passport will get free reign here on U.S. soil because Scamela and CNS needed more readers yesterday and knowingly chose to bait them with absolute false drivel. Also, Scamela, CNS, NewsMax, and the others simply are too ignorant about the Middle East to know the most basic of facts: that not all aliens to the U.S. bearing Israeli passports and citizenship are Jewish Israelis coming here in peace; and that a good number are Muslims and other Arabs seeking to cause harm on U.S. soil or to raise money here to cause harm back in Israel.
I don’t want Arab Muslims from Israel on U.S. soil. But if they are here and detained by ICE, I want them thoroughly checked through all lists. Israel wants this, too, and wants us to inform them when these jihadists are here.
How sad that those on the right who claim to be against Islamic terrorism and for protecting U.S. shores and Israeli borders are working against the little that Obama is actually doing to reach that goal.
There is plenty that Obama is doing, along with ICE and Homeland Security, to enable Muslim extremists and jihadists on U.S. soil and around the world. Making up lies to make a bigger case is a dangerous case of “crying wolf.” And it’s a total lie.
Let’s see how long it takes for Scamela to change the language on her site and pretend she never said it, as she always does when she makes up stories (she has code built into her site to prevent Google from caching and capturing her previous lies when she erases them).
Let’s see how long it takes CNS to tell the truth. Don’t hold your breath. Their many lying stories remain up about Hannity paying for the private jets he actually used Freedom Concert money to pay for.
If only conservatives placed the same demands for honest reporting and accurate journalism on the mainstream right-wing media as they do on the mainstream liberal media.
Don’t hold your breath for that either. Most on the right are as obsessed as those on the left with lying to score points than they are about America’s national security or doing what’s right, neither of which is a partisan issue.
In the meantime, remember that I support ICE performing extra screening on detained Muslim and Arab aliens from Israel who might cause us or Israel harm. I wish we would perform this extra screening on all Muslim and Arab aliens from any country who enter the U.S., not just the very few who are arrested and actually DETAINED by ICE. Scamela Geller, CNS, Newsmax, and Glenn Beck’s The Blaze want them to roam free untouched.
Tags: Aliens, Arab, Barack Obama, CNS, Conservative News Services, Department of Homeland Security, detained aliens, DHS, Enforcement and Removal Operations, ERO, Homeland Security, ICE, Immigration, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Islam, Islamic Terrorism, Israel, Jews, Jihad, jihadist, jihadists, list, Muslim, NewsMax, Obama, Office of the Inspector General, Palestinian, Palestinians, Pamela Geller, Report, screening list, SDC, Specially Designated Counries, Supervision of Aliens, Supervision of Aliens Commensurate with Risk, TAC, terrorism, The Blaze, Third Agency Check
We recently had an “Israeli” commit a rather nasty stabbing attack in Flint. I know he was Israeli because the local TV told me so… repeatedly. The fact that the man was Muslim didn’t seem to be relevant to the story as they didn’t mention that.
I think you reported the Flint story, Debbie. I thought of it immediately upon reading this column.
Apparently, Pam Geller’s readers haven’t visited Nazareth, Israel lately. Otherwise, they would have questioned her thesis. Good call, Deb!
TINSC: Yes, I mentioned him in this column – Elias Abuelazam. These people objecting to Israel being on the list are morons and deliberate liars. DS
There is NO Santa Claus on July 1, 2011 at 7:21 am