A string of terror attacks is raising uncomfortable questions about America’s immigration screening system: How exactly did the suspects make it through the country’s citizenship and vetting process in the first place?
According to a report [1] by Just the News, four recent attacks in less than two weeks have been linked to individuals from foreign countries, some of whom were naturalized U.S. citizens or children of parents who are. The incidents, which are connected to Islamist extremism, include a shooting at a Texas bar, an attempted bombing tied to ISIS- inspired teens in New York, a fatal shooting at Old Dominion University, and a vehicle attack at a synagogue in West Bloomfield, Michigan.
Critics say the pattern highlights a bigger issue: America’s immigration screening system is obviously not catching radicalized individuals before they become citizens. And it’s obviously that no one is effectively monitoring them afterward either when they run into trouble.
A 2024 Department of Homeland Security audit [2] also warned of “significant gaps” in screening and vetting procedures for foreign nationals entering or staying in the U.S.
Trump, for his part, has rolled out revived and “extreme vetting” measures, such as travel bans and continuous monitoring of visa holders, aimed at tightening security and restoring safeguards that officials argued had been weakened or dismantled under prior policies.
If the goal of vetting is to keep Americans safe, the recent pattern of screening foreigners before Trump 2.0 suggests the system hasn’t just been flawed – it’s been failing. Until those gaps are addressed, “approved” may not mean what Americans think it does, and the consequences are playing out in real time.