Rep. Barletta: Terrorists to Use Porous Borders for Syria Retaliation?
During a Homeland Security Committee Hearing this morning, Rep. Lou Barletta (R-PA) asked Major General Robert H. Scales, retired from the U.S. Army, about the potential threat of terrorists using the southwest border to smuggle chemical weapons into the U.S.
Rep. Barletta:
“I think this is very clear that what we need to do is secure our borders first to keep Americans safe. We know there’s a significant presence of Hezbollah in Latin America. We know our borders are open. How real is the possibility of Iran engaging in retaliation in the United States through its Hezbollah proxies in Latin America?”
General Scales:
“The largest Iranian embassy in the world is in Venezuela. A chemical like sarin is something that you could put in a hipflask and get across the border. It’s really fundamental to the essence of our ability to protect the nation, particularly now that this horrible commodity called sarin has been loosed in the Middle East and the bar against its use, I would predict, will continue to lower.
“While the point of crossing might be Texas or Arizona or New Mexico, the point of impact could very well be Pennsylvania or Montana or New York. Because once you’re across the border, it’s nothing more than an interstate trip of a couple of days to put the stuff right in the heartland.”
“While the point of crossing might be Texas or Arizona or New Mexico, the point of impact could very well be Pennsylvania or Montana or New York. Because once you’re across the border, it’s nothing more than an interstate trip of a couple of days to put the stuff right in the heartland.”