There is a sheriff in Midland County, Texas, who claims that ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) personnel are crossing the U.S.-Mexico border in order to infiltrate into the United States. He further clams that ISIS has already set up a headquarters in Juarez, Mexico, as a prelude to prepare an attack against this country. His evidence? He said that he has found copies of the Muslim holy book, the Qur’an, on the U.S.-Mexico border. Hmmmm. I would hope that the evidence is way, way better than this. Finding the holy book of Islam, if that is what this sheriff has found, cannot substantiate who might have crossed the U.S.-Mexico border. It could have been anyone. It could have been Syrian refugees,; it could have been Uyghurs from China (they are just as desperate trying to get out of China as Syrians are trying to get out of Syria); it could have been Mexican Muslims. Yes, Mexican Muslims do exist, and like in the United States, Islam is making an impact in Mexico.

But of course Midland County Sheriff Gary Painter insists that this is an “ISIS” imprint, and that they are crossing the U.S.-Mexico border to attack the United States. Despite this claim, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the U.S. Border Patrol have not found any specific information that ISIS is operating in Mexico, nor is it crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. The U.S. Border Patrol has certainly not picked up anyone that matches any description of ISIS personnel. While there is a lot of hysteria out there about a possible attack by ISIS against the United States, all U.S. surveillance agencies have found no such evidence along the U.S.-Mexico border that such operations are taking place or that it is likely to happen. And we have to keep in mind that the U.S. government is looking for any and all evidence and intelligence reports that ISIS might try and attack the United States.

It seems that hysteria can get the better of many people—even those in law enforcement. Besides, infiltrating into the United States by way of Mexico can be rather hazardous. If anyone wants to cross the U.S.-Mexico border, they are not likely to do so near any major city as those areas are well guarded. Crossing into the mountains and deserts is a very, very hazardous affair. Many Mexicans, not to mention anyone else trying to go through these areas, face hostile terrain with temperatures of extreme heat in the triple digits, wild animals that can tear a person apart, bandits, and open terrain where a person can easily be spotted from the air by helicopter. In order for infiltration to be successful, an organization, any organization, must get their personnel through as successfully as possible. The odds would go against anyone trying to cross through the U.S.-Mexico border. And the U.S. government has greatly increased the size and resources of the U.S. Border Patrol to look for any pattern of any activity along the border. The most obvious activities are those of the Mexican cartels, who continually play a cat-and-mouse game with U.S. authorities. But I guess hysteria knows no boundaries.