Radicalized U.S. citizens pose a greater threat to the U.S. than do immigrants, according to an analysis by CPOST, the Chicago Project on Security and Threats.
Michael Morell, former acting director of the Central Intelligence Agency, and Robert Pape, University of Chicago political science professor, announced their findings in a piece Monday in The Washington Post.
The CPOST report broke down a list of 125 U.S. citizens that had been indicted in terror attacks in the last 36 months, or that would have been indicted had they not been killed.
From that list:
- U.S. citizens: 81 percent.
- Green-card holders: 11 percent.
- Other: 8 percent.
From that list, a little over one-third are from the seven countries in Trump's travel ban.
- From one of the seven countries in the ban: 37 percent.
- From six other countries in Middle East or Africa, five nations in Asia, three in Europe: 63 percent.
The threat from foreign nationals is not as great because since the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, the U.S. has taken stronger action to prevent terrorists from reaching the U.S. The travel ban would not do much to diminish that threat, according to Morell and Pape.
"The hard truth is that there is no evidence that those born abroad are any more susceptible to radicalization than those born here," the two wrote.
Taking on the Islamic State's anti-U.S. rhetoric should be a priority, they said.
"The facts show that the travel ban is bad policy . . . better policy would be to focus on the Islamic State narrative that is infecting those already in this country."
Morell has criticized the travel ban before.
"I think the order is going to make that worse. It is going to make us less safe," he said Jan. 30 on CBS News.
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