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On this major anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, we Americans have to ask ourselves: Are we safer now than we were 20 years ago?

Its difficult to admit, but we arent.

The Biden administrations reckless pullout of Afghanistan put terrorists back on offense and emboldens our other adversaries.

The southern border, opened by this administration, provides a wide path for terrorists to enter the U.S.

Meanwhile, the federal agencies responsible for preventing terrorist attacks are politicized and looking inward to combat white supremacy and extremism based on political opinion or association.

Americans are right to feel abandoned andat risk, thanks to the decisions and policies of this administration.

Who would imagine that 20 years after 9/11, the Taliban would govern more territory; have more allies, including China; have more money than it did two decades ago; and have our weapons?

Yet President Joe Bidens shocking decisions regarding Afghanistan have snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.

Now, he desperately wants America to move on and forget about the past two weeks in Kabul. Biden clearly doesnt understand human nature or Americans if he thinks we will move on from the needless loss of 13 military service members, abandoned Americans who are now hostages, andmany billionsof dollars worth of high-tech military equipment and weapons left behind for the Taliban to capture and use against us.

We also cannot move on, per Bidens wish, because he has put America in a very difficult position relative to our adversaries.

Biden not only hasrevitalizedthe Taliban and put al-Qaeda and ISIS back in the fight, his weakness emboldens China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea to aggressively pursue their geopolitical schemes, which will not be in Americas interest.

As such, the U.S. must increase its vigilance to prevent terrorist acts against Americans at home and abroad, while also blocking dictatorial regimes expansion and aggression.

Like an anti-Midas, Biden has intentionally weakened Americas ability to prevent more terrorist attacks. In addition to removing intelligence-gathering capabilities in Afghanistan, the Biden administration rushed to bringtens of thousandsof Afghans directly to the U.S.rather than safe third countrieswithquestionable vetting.

Some have since been flown toKosovoafter discovering subsequent derogatory information.

Terroristsexploitrefugee and migration flows to gain a foothold in their target countries. The Biden administration insists it isrobustlyvetting Afghan evacuees, but against what data? Weno longer have staff or access to documentationin Afghanistan to verify claimed identities or background information.

Furthermore, the administration has squandered its credibility in its portrayal of the Afghan withdrawal.

The administration also has stated that it has expedited the vetting of Afghans and that it seeks to resettle such Afghans as quickly as possible. But thefaster vettingis done, the less thorough it is.

Americansshould not have confidencethat there are no terrorists or other bad actors among the Afghans this administration already has brought directly to the U.S. The administration should continuously vet such populations for a reasonable period of time to gain confidence in the bona fides of the individuals and to prevent radicalization.

Another front Biden has weakened against preventing terrorist attacks is our southern border. Starting on his first day in office, Biden stopped border security, immigration enforcement, and asylum-fraud prevention policies and programs.

Predictably, America has since seenhistoric flows of illegal aliens, includingknown and suspected terroristsand seriouscriminal aliens, andpoisonous illicit drugs pour across our border.

Surely, al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups see our southern border is a wide open avenue into the U.S. Yet an unfazed Biden administration shows no sign of starting to secure the border, enforce immigration laws, or prevent asylum and other immigration fraud.

Meanwhile, the agencies responsible for preventing terrorism have become politicized and prioritize all the wrong issues. The Department of Homeland Securitys Aug. 13 National Terrorism Advisory SystemBulletinprioritizes racial and anti-authority violent extremists (white supremacists and COVID-19 mandate opponents) over foreign terrorists.

The Department of Homeland Security also prioritizes addressingclimate change, as prominently displayed on its homepage. Even if the department properly reprioritizedradical Islamic terrorismas the homelands No. 1 threat, the department does not have the resources to adequately focus on preventing terrorist attacks.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkasadmittedin last weeks Operation Allies Welcome press briefing that his departments resources are indeed stressed due to processing aliens at the southern border.

Also responsible for combating terrorism, the FBI isfocusingon diversity, hate crimes, and the Jan. 6 Capitol violence. Both the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI have their eye off the terrorism ball, and Americans are less safe for it.

Twenty years after the horrific attacks on our homeland, the world is just as dangerous. The Biden administrations debacle in Afghanistan has madeanother 9/11more likely.

The historic Biden border crisis is a fundamental assault, not just on our system of laws, but a major national security threat. And our most vital agencies are increasingly characterized by political maneuvering, rather than a singular focus on protecting Americans.

All of that only makes the 20thanniversary of 9/11 even more tragic.

This piece originally appeared in The Daily Signal

Read the original:
On 20th Anniversary of 9/11, We Regrettably Are Less Safe - Heritage.org