Republicans Link 9/11 Lessons to Biden’s ‘Open-Border’ Approach

On the anniversary of 9/11, Republicans are reminding Americans that the threat of terrorism is far from over and they’re pointing to Joe Biden’s disastrous border policies as a major source of concern.

Top members of the House Homeland Security Committee marked the solemn day by honoring the nearly 3,000 lives lost in the 2001 attacks while warning that Biden’s “open-border policies” have created conditions ripe for future tragedies.

Committee Chair Andrew Garbarino (R-NY) put it plainly: “Never Forget” is not just about remembrance but about vigilance. He and his colleagues argue that today’s risks are heightened by the president’s refusal to secure the border.

The numbers are damning:

• From fiscal year 2021 through the end of Biden’s presidency, Border Patrol agents caught around 400 individuals on the terror watchlist attempting to cross into the U.S.

• During the Trump years (2017-2020), that number was only 14 total apprehensions.

• At least 2 million known “gotaways” illegal immigrants who slipped past authorities entered under Biden, raising concerns about who may now be inside the country.

These aren’t just statistics. Over the summer, Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested a Tajikistani national suspected of being tied to al Qaeda someone who had crossed the border and been released under Biden’s watch. Similarly, nearly half of the 1,504 Iranian nationals stopped at the border during his presidency were allowed into the country.

Rep. August Pfluger (R-TX), who chairs the Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence, blasted the administration for ignoring the warning signs. “We still don’t know how many terrorists may have slipped through the cracks under President Biden’s watch and are now living among us,” he said, describing the danger as “blinking red.”

Republicans praised the Trump administration for its tough border stance, which emphasized national security as a top priority. Under Trump, resources were dedicated to identifying and removing threats before they could take root. Biden, by contrast, has let ideology drive policy at the expense of American safety.

As Garbarino and other committee members visited Ground Zero and the 9/11 Memorial this week, their message was clear border security is not just an immigration issue it’s a counterterrorism issue.

The attacks of 9/11 were a painful lesson about what happens when the U.S. ignores mounting threats. Two decades later, many fear Biden is setting the stage for history to repeat itself.

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