The discussion about U.S. border security focuses on mass migration and foreigners who circumvent our legal immigration system, but those aren’t the only valid concerns. What are the espionage risks to U.S. national security posed by legal immigration?

First, it must be understood that the vetting scheme employed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement is broadly inadequate from a counterintelligence viewpoint. ICE looks more for criminals and immigration fraudsters than foreign spies.

The espionage threat from legal immigrants can be broken into two categories. First, there are spies coming to America on a secret espionage mission, which they don’t declare to ICE. Second are immigrants who, after their arrival in the United States, decide to commit espionage, usually on behalf of their homeland. Both groups are difficult for our counterintelligence to detect — the latter is especially so.

Let’s examine how the top espionage threats to this country employ legal immigrants against us.

Russia has used what it terms Illegals abroad for more than a century — the equivalent U.S. intelligence term is nonofficial cover. These are immigrants who come and live under assumed identities, often as third-country nationals. They have little, if any, contact with Russian diplomats assigned to the U.S. Such Illegals are very difficult for U.S.........

© Washington Examiner