Terrorists Enter Through Fake Marriages

There's been a lot of talk about the relative ease with which terrorists can gain entrance into the US by crossing unprotected borders.

Well they've devised an easier way. All they have to do is marry an American.

I've known some of these Muslim types, and boy can they turn on the charm. I've watched as they've approached young women tourists and had them leaving with them within a half hour. Smooth, suave, gentle smiling faces, and great swelling words of flattery did the trick and did it quickly. I always wondered what became of those young women.

There was an article on this in WorldNet Daily. Here are some excerpts:

WorldNet Daily
A new report reveals previously deported criminals and terrorists who want to enter or remain in the U.S. can do so by finding an American to marry.

The Center for Immigration Studies reported the most common path to U.S. citizenship or residency for foreign nationals is by marrying an American. More than 2.3 million people entered the U.S. between 1998 and 2007 this way.

According to the report by former consular officer David Seminara, foreigners who wed U.S. citizens receive immediate preference status for immigrant visas. 27 percent of all green cards issued in 2007 were to spouses of Americans.

The problem is evident when one takes into consideration frequent arrests for marriage fraud schemes and the thousands of websites that arrange scam marriages, he said.

He listed the following common types of marriage fraud:

* Mail order bride arrangements
* Phony "arranged" marriages in cultures where arranged marriage
is still common.
* Cash-for-vows weddings, where Americans are paid to wed.
* Friends-and-family plans, where someone pitches in to help get
someone else's spouse to the United States.
* "I do, I don't, I do" marriages where foreign nationals divorce their
spouses in their home countries, marry Americans, and get green
cards two years later; then divorce the Americans, remarry their
original spouses, and petition to bring them to the United States.
* Heartbreakers, where foreigners dupe Americans into believing
their intentions are true, when they actually just want a green card.

Once couples receive conditional status on a foreigner's green card, they are required to stay married for only two years. After that period, they may divorce without consequence.

Seminara reveals criminals and terrorists have caught on to marriage fraud schemes. He referenced Janice Kephart's 2005 report titled, "Immigration and Terrorism," where she outlined how terrorists, including members of al-Qaida, have participated in marriage schemes to remain in the U.S.

"Once in the United States, 16 of 23 terrorists became legal permanent residents, often by marrying an American," Kephart wrote. "Marrying a U.S. citizen is one of the easiest ways to stay in the United States once within the country's borders."

Spanish authorities taped a conversation on May 26, 2004, in which Rebei Osman described the theory "by which the end justifies the means for the cause of jihad:"

Everything is permitted including marrying with Christian women, because we need immigration papers. We have to be everywhere, in Germany, in Holland, in London. We are dominating Europe with our presence. The women serve to obtain documents, because we are in favor of the cause of God.

Seminara said previously deported illegal aliens with criminal records often obtain green cards by marrying U.S. citizens as well.

"For illegal immigrants, finding an American spouse is not just an aspiration, it's a mission, and it is the most common way of returning to the United States for those who have been deported."

Condensed from:
Terrorists, Criminal Aliens Marry Americans
By Chelsea Schilling, WorldNet Daily