ISIS Leads John McCain to Reverse on Illegal Immigration Urgency

After urging national Republicans not to make illegal immigration an issue in the midterms, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) on Wednesday warned that ISIS is trying to exploit the porous U.S.-Mexico border to carry out terrorists attacks on American soil. 

Appearing on Fox News with Sean Hannity after Obama’s foreign policy address to the nation on ISIS, McCain, the Gang of Eight member who has been one of the most prominent advocates of comprehensive amnesty legislation, said that ISIS terrorists are encouraging members to sneak into America through the southern border. 

“On Twitter and Facebook, they are urging people to come across our border and attack the United States of America,” McCain said on Fox News of ISIS.

On CNN, McCain said America’s “porous” border with Mexico makes the country more vulnerable to a terrorist attack from ISIS. Former Homeland Security officials have previously conceded that ISIS terrorists may have already illegally entered the country through the porous U.S.-Mexico border. 

But in June, McCain warned national Republicans not to use illegal immigration as a campaign issue against Democrats.

“There are plenty of issues that separate Republicans and Democrats, but I don’t think [this is one, given] that a majority of Americans — 70 or 80 percent, depending on which polls you judge by — are in favor of what we are trying to do,” McCain said in June, according to Roll Call.

After Republicans finally decided to make illegal immigration an issue in the midterms, GOP Senate candidates became competitive in red states like Arkansas and even blue states like New Hampshire. A plurality of Americans trust Republicans more on the issue as Obama’s approval rating on illegal immigration has taken a nosedive.

Senate Democrats, in a state of panic, implored President Barack Obama to delay his executive amnesty until after the midterm elections to give Democrats a better shot of retaining the Senate. And Obama caved, deciding last weekend to delay his executive amnesty. 

Obama conceded that the politics had changed on the issue over the summer, which only occurred when the mainstream media were forced to cover the issue after Breitbart Texas published leaked photos of illegal immigrant juveniles being warehoused in Texas.