Iraqi's Crossing the Border?

Mexicans? Here's the Real Problem With The Border. OTM's in the form of Hezbollah or al-Qaeda. You just can't have homeland security without border security. Here are more examples of jihadists using our border as a means of getting into the US.

Hat tip, JW. Residents in the close-knit community of Chaparral were surprised to hear that undocumented Iraqi and other Middle Eastern immigrants may be part of a human smuggling ring based here.

"Out of so many places, why here?" Chaparral resident Fabiola Gardea asked. "This is near my house. It scares me a lot because I never thought they would be this close."

She said it would be easy for human smugglers to do well in the community.

"There's a lot of empty houses and land everywhere," she said.

Gardea said the possibility that some undocumented immigrants might be from Iraq is unsettling.

"It makes me think of terrorism," she said. "They're so close. Anything can happen. It's very scary."

ABC News reported that the FBI was investigating the possibility that Iraqi and other Middle Eastern immigrants might have been entering the country illegally through a smuggling operation based in Chaparral for more than a year.

"We've received numerous calls about an FBI intelligence bulletin that claims Iraqis are being smuggled into the U.S. in our area. The El Paso Division does not have specific information regarding this claim," local FBI spokes woman Andrea Simmons said in an e-mail. "I would remind you that some intelligence information is provided in a raw, unsubstantiated format. That information can later be proven or disproven, but is often provided in this raw format to inform the intelligence community of possible threats."

Doña Ana County Sheriff's Department spokesman Bo Nevarez said his department often gets reports of human smuggling.

"We have received reports in the last week. Human smuggling reports are fairly common," he said, but did not detail how many reports have been received, where they occurred or the nationality of the people involved. He said the reports are turned over to other agencies.

Many Chaparral residents were surprised to hear the claim that some of the undocumented immigrants in their area might be from the Middle East.

The report referred to by ABC News said the smuggling ring had shifted from trafficking Mexicans to those from the Middle East because of the money to be made in this area. Smuggled Iraqis reportedly paid between $20,000 to $25,000 to enter the country.

Some said those entering the country through this alleged ring may simply be looking for a better life.

"It doesn't really scare me. It surprised me, but that was it," Chaparral resident Luz Domin guez said. "Maybe they just want to move from where they live."

"Somebody that wants to make a change and doesn't want to be in the conflict, I say (there's no problem). If they're going to harm our country, I say yes," Chaparral resident Raymond Massey said.

Some people just want all illegal immigration stopped.

"Half of Chaparral is illegals, so what's the difference?" Chaparral resident George Farkas asked. "It doesn't matter whether they're from here or 10,000 miles from here. Get rid of them."

Chaparral resident Michael Chavez said he hoped security was increased in light of the alleged smuggling ring.

"Our community needs to provide more security as well as law enforcement," he said.

He is ready to step up if need be. "You don't know how powerful the people are and what they would do," Chavez said. "If we have a conflict here in Chaparral, I wouldn't mind putting on a uniform and fighting for Chaparral. I'll fight for what I believe in."

We have the people, now all we need is a government willing to defend itself.

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