Ahmed Ressam, for example, an Algerian convicted of plotting to bomb Los Angeles International Airport during the millennium celebrations, was caught by Customs Service inspectors entering Port Angeles in December 1999 from Canada, where he lived as a refugee — even receiving a $500 monthly government stipend pending an immigration appeal.Why do we even bother? How can we stop this wave from crossing into the US?At the time of his arrest, Ressam had a Canadian passport and driver's license that identified him as Montreal resident Benni Antoine Noris.
Since 1995, at least 15 persons identified by federal authorities as known terrorists have been caught crossing the border from Canada, two in Blaine alone.
But about 300,000 immigrants are admitted each year to Canada, some of whom have been identified by law enforcement authorities as terrorists, mostly Islamist extremists, looking for safe haven. Because Canada does not detain refugee claimants, even those with questionable backgrounds, more than 10,000 disappear into Canada's ethnic communities each year.