On May 3, two Jordanian illegal immigrants were arrested while attempting to enter Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia in a box truck. They were posing as Amazon delivery men, although Amazon denies that they were employed by the company. When alert military police intercepted them at the gate, they tried to force their way onto the base (which also houses an FBI training facility). Security deployed vehicle access barriers to prevent them from entering the base.
One of the two suspects illegally entered the U.S. through the southern border in April 2024 and was released after receiving a summons. According to Republican Reps. Chip Roy of Texas and Tom Tiffany of Wisconsin,The second suspect was also staying in the US illegally, having overstayed his student visa, according to local newspaper reports. Virginia Newspaper“One of the residents [of the truck] “It’s on the U.S. terrorism watch list,” he said. Although unconfirmed, Virginia 19 states At least one of them may have had a Virginia license, according to state officials who issue driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants.
If this all sounds eerily familiar, you’d be right. Seven of the 19 terrorists who carried out the 9/11 attacks A valid Virginia driver’s license or ID They then used them to board the flight that fateful morning. Many of these terrorists had initially entered the United States legally on student or tourist visas and had overstayed their visas. Two of them, Mohammed Atta and Marwan Al-Shehhi, Student Visa Renewal 6 months rear On 9/11, one of the hijacked planes crashed into the Pentagon (headquarters of the Department of Defense in Arlington, Virginia), killing 125 people in the building and 64 passengers and crew on the plane. However, as of January 1, 2021, Virginia Issuing driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants.
Fortunately, no one was injured in the May 3 incident and there were no explosives in the truck. But the incident in which two Jordanian illegal immigrants attempted to drive a truck onto the grounds of Marine Corps Base Quantico must be seen in context. Being overlooked or ignored Before 9/11, the top U.S. security official today was Dire and Repeated Warnings The nation faces an imminent and credible threat of attack on the homeland.
Some have speculated that the attempted break-in at Quantico was a precursor to an actual attack: “The box truck drive was a dry run for the second time driving a box truck that wasn’t empty.” Dave Katz saysHe is a security consultant and former DEA agent.
Katz believes this case has all the signs of a well-planned, potentially devastating attack: “Somehow an overstaying student comes into contact with someone who’s in the US illegally from the other side of the country, and they both end up in that truck,” he said.
Perhaps more disturbing than what happened in Quantico on May 3 is what is not happening within the Biden administration or in hundreds of sanctuary jurisdictions across the country. Terror Watch List The problems encountered at the border and the failure Free some of themThe government has refused to take any meaningful steps to secure the border. Similarly, despite the numerous needless tragedies caused by state and local sanctuary policies, these jurisdictions have not moved to repeal them. And none of the 19 states (and the District of Columbia) that still issue licenses to illegal immigrants seem likely to repeal their laws.
Instead, the policy at the federal and local levels appears to be one of waiting and hoping that the numerous warnings and warning signs will turn out to be false alarms.
Ira Mellman is media director for the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR).
The views and opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of the Daily Caller.
