There has been heated debate in our country regarding the controversial Arizona immigration law. While there is great distraction and division amongst Americans, in the courts and Washington, our common enemies who seek to harm the United States are banding together. Like the planners of 9/11 they see where we are vulnerable and weak border security is increasingly conducive to any plans to smuggle in a weapon of mass destruction. There was a time when Americans only had to worry about illegal aliens sneaking in to seek a better life but now there is compelling evidence that terrorists are planning to enter the U.S at the Mexican border and could have support from the Tehran-Caracas axis. The growing allegiance between Venezuela and Iran is highly suspicious and is serving as a catalyst for something big to happen. After 9/11, Americans were in shock as to how this could have happened and by such simple means. It seems we have forgotten how a patient enemy can use our simple vulnerabilities to severely harm us.
According to press reports President Chavez of Venezuela has stated publicly that with president Ahmadinejad of Iran, the two countries have declared an ‘axis of unity’ against the United States. Ahmadinejad a Holocaust denier who wants to obliterate Israel of the map has been known to pray even at the UN for the return of the 12th Iman. He believes this return can only be hastened with chaos on earth and that Israel and the U.S stands in the way Middle East and Islamic world domination. Peter Brookes, a senior fellow at the Heritage Foundation http://heritage.org and a former secretary of defense who also served in the Navy, with the CIA and on capitol Hill, voiced his concerns in an article about Ahmadinejad’s and Chavez’s nuclear and terrorist ties. Mr. Brookes expressed concerns about a regular flight linking Tehran, Damascus and Caracas. The inspection of customs and materials or immigration processing of travelers between Tehran and Caracas is highly questionable. http://www.armedforcesjournal.com/2010/03/4419149/ He outlined that not only could Tehran, which is successfully enriching uranium to low levels, help Caracas with a nuclear program that Moscow starts, it could also help begin in Venezuela it self. Chavez has actually suggested this publicly. On 9/11/2009 during Chavez’s eight trip to Iran he called the country a strategic ally for helping Venezuela develop its own nuclear program. In November of 2008 and in the middle of a crushing financial crisis, Chavez ordered his treasury to channel $50 million towards a secret nuclear program.
The Canadian uranium exploration U308 Corp has recorded a substantial source of uranium in the Roraima basin which along the border of Venezuela and Guyana. Containers have been seized on their way to Venezuela with nitrates and sulphate chemicals that are used to manufacture explosives. Other suspicious activities have included joint ventures totaling at least $30 billion between the two countries that can be used as a front to conceal multimillion transactions. This alliance provides the Iranian regime with a reliable source of uranium, helps it evade restrictions on trade and financing and gives Middle Eastern terrorists access to weapons from Mr. Chavez’s growing arsenal. This alliance serves also as insurance policy for Iran to cancel out meaning full sanctions from the West. It also dangerously gives Iran or Islamic radicals the stage to retaliate or attack the U.S. It would not be difficult to enter from insecure borders.
It is more troubling as the Iranian relationship has helped boost Venezuelan support of Middle Eastern radicals. Last November 500 tons of weapons were seized en route from Venezuela to Syria ultimately bound for Hezbollah in Lebanon. Chavez support for Colombian terrorists and his complicity in drug trafficking is unsettling especially when the prospect of his support with traffickers on our border is a possibility. Mr. Chavez is a self-declared enemy of the United States who has aided terrorist groups and radical regimes for more than a decade and is obsessive to hold on to power and exert his influence in the region. Iran and Venezuela have committed to memorandum of understanding committing full military support and understanding. Iranian personnel are reported to be embedded with the Venezuelan military. Some members of Congress have supported a resolution calling on the State Department to add Venezuela to the list of State sponsor of terrorism due to its involvement with the Revolutionary Armed Forces Of Columbia a.k.a FARC. Unfortunately there are more reasons Venezuela should be added to the list.
Chavez has longed been accused of accommodating FARC in Venezuela and ignoring their drug trafficking activities en route to countries such as the U.S. However, the association with the Iran backed terrorist group Hezbollah in the region and the support they might be getting from Chavez has escalated the danger of this axis. Hezbollah it has been reported, has been penetrating into large immigrant communities in Venezuela and other countries in South America even learning Spanish fluently. Some reports indicate that Hezbollah operatives make use of the Caracas-Damascus-Tehran flights, are processed on arrival separately and do not go through normal immigration or customs procedures in Caracas.
Apart from a few people like Peter Brookes and organizations such as The Heritage Foundation, The Wall Street Journal and Fox News, very few in media are drawing attention to the possible terrorism web involving Iran, Venezuela and Hezbollah, especially how it is tied to border security. However, a recent article in the New York Post on the subject by terrorism analyst Brigitte Gabriel of http://ACTforamerica.org reinforced the dangers we face. The article highlighted the alliance between drug cartels and groups who seek to smuggle terrorists through the Mexican border. The problem is not only on the Venezuela-Colombia border anymore but literally in our back yard. It mentioned the recent denotation of a Improvised Explosive Device along the Texas-Mexico Border. It was similar to the ones killing our solders in Iraq and Afghanistan. This occurrence strongly indicates that Hezbollah is already working with drug cartels. Also, last year a worker at the Mexican Embassy in Beirut was caught selling visas to enter Mexico. Furthermore, intelligence analysts believe that terrorist groups like al Qaeda have been collaborating with these gangs such as the ruthless MS-13 to smuggle terrorists in America. It is suggested that al Qaeda is paying up to $50,000 to smuggle in a single terrorist and Hezbollah funded by Iran paying up to $10,000. The alliance between the cartels and the terrorist groups allows the cartels to learn expertise in making tunnels to smuggle drugs and also learn bomb making skills from Hezbollah, who in turn smuggles terrorists and weapons to be possibly be used in America. Brigitte Gabriel in her article also reminded us that Hezbollah is Iran’s proxy army trained by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards.
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/opedcolumnists/looming_threat_from_illegals_terror_fxLo773X6OkZJXUCLXVIXJ
In addition, should America and Iran have a confrontation, Iran could have operatives who were smuggled through our borders to retaliate and probably cause much more terror than 9/11. Intelligence analysts believe there is at least 11 Hezbollah cells in the United States. Iran knows that it cannot compete with the U.S with conventional military means but has the unconventional means to enable terrorists to severely damage this country. Our biggest treat from Iran or terrorists might not be a missile but from a nuclear , biological or dirty bomb denoted in a large city such as New York, Chicago or L.A.
There is no question that there is a need for immigration reform but President Obama, NY Senator Schumer and others in Washington seem willing to negate border security to accomplish this reform first. It would no doubt be historic and score political points since it is a very sensitive issue. However, it would be even more historic if we fail to protect our borders and allowed a major deadly disaster to happen. Would they be willing to step forward and say we did not protect Americans when we could because we did not have priorities of the country straight? Mr. Obama speaking with members of congress at the White House recently was reported to comment to a Republican that ,” If we seal the border first you guys will be less willing to have comprehensive immigration reform”. Recently, Senator Schumer wrote Arizona Gov. Brewer a letter urging her to delay the Arizona immigration law for a year so congress could work on immigration reform. To his credit Mr Schumer is supporting a bill to provide more border agents and drones to monitor the border but there needs to be more of a commitment to totally secure it. Conservatives want immigration reform too and have ideas how to do it but they believe border security should come first for many reasons. A strong effort to secure our borders would certainly make it more viable to have a bi-partisan immigration reform passed. Every politician in Washington swears to up hold the constitution of the United States which includes providing common defense. Maybe Mr Obama, and others in Washington should do their duty to secure our borders and defend us from threats, rather than trying to score political points for their careers.
