Study: Mideast Immigrants to US Pose Huge Security Threat

A new study shows that the number of immigrants in the United States jumped 3 percent in three years — to a record 41.3 million in 2013 — and that the nearly 300,000 who came from Muslim countries pose a major national security threat, the report's co-author told Newsmax on Thursday.

"All of that does raise national security concerns, and I don't think there has been any consideration of that," said Steven Camarota, research director for the Center for Immigration Studies.

The Washington-based nonprofit organization released the study on Thursday. It is based on an analysis of Census data from 2010 to last year. Camarota conducted the study and co-authored it with CIS demographer Karen Zeigler.

"The primary threat from a group like ISIS to the homeland is through our immigration system," Camarota said, referring to the Islamic State terrorist group that has beheaded three Westerners in recent weeks.

"No one's suggesting that they're going to launch a missile and hit New York, but rather they're going to board an airliner and blow it up," he added. "They're going to park a car in a public place, they're going to go on a shooting spree, or any one of those things.

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