{"id":2579609,"date":"2026-03-13T16:11:01","date_gmt":"2026-03-13T20:11:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/sen-schmitt-we-need-to-reform-broken-legal-immigration-system-that-welcomes-terrorists-hurts-americans\/"},"modified":"2026-03-13T16:12:30","modified_gmt":"2026-03-13T20:12:30","slug":"sen-schmitt-we-need-to-reform-broken-legal-immigration-system-that-welcomes-terrorists-hurts-americans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/sen-schmitt-we-need-to-reform-broken-legal-immigration-system-that-welcomes-terrorists-hurts-americans\/","title":{"rendered":"Schmitt: &#8216;We Need To Reform\u2019 Broken Legal Immigration System"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fsen-schmitt-we-need-to-reform-broken-legal-immigration-system-that-welcomes-terrorists-hurts-americans%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2579609&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Sen. Eric Schmitt argues that america\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/mayorkas-sworn-in-as-secretary-of-homeland-security-despite-heavy-gop-opposition\/\" title=\"Mayorkas Sworn In As Secretary Of Homeland Security Despite Heavy GOP Opposition\">legal immigration system<\/a> is broken and urges thorough <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >reforms alongside stricter border enforcement<\/a>, in the wake of terrorist attacks carried out by naturalized U.S. citizens. Appearing on Fox News\u2019 The Ingraham Angle amid a Democrat-led DHS funding debate, he criticized open-border policies, supported closing the U.S.-Mexico border, deportations, and stronger enforcement of existing laws, while noting that visa programs and \u201cvisa mills\u201d can displace American workers and students. The piece describes two recent attacks by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-administration-quietly-removes-law-that-prioritized-immigrants-who-were-less-likely-to-need-welfare\/\" title=\"Biden Administration Quietly Removes Law That Prioritized Immigrants Who Were Less Likely To Need Welfare\">foreign-born individuals<\/a>: in Virginia, Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, a Sierra Leonean former Army national Guardsman, killed Lt. Col. Brandon Shah at Old Dominion University after reportedly shouting \u201callahu Akbar\u201d and was himself killed; in Michigan, Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, Lebanese-born and naturalized, attacked the Temple Israel synagogue in West Bloomfield and was killed by security officers. Schmitt contends these events underscore the need to keep the border closed, continue deportations, and reform the legal immigration system. The article is written by Shawn Fleetwood for The Federalist.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-body body-md bdr-top-black pt-30\">\n<div class=\"row justify-content-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12\">\n<figure class=\"article-thumbnail mb-30 mb-sm-60\">\n<div class=\"article-thumbnail-caption d-flex align-items-center justify-content-md-end label-xs mt-15\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-camera me-10\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Image Credit<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=115rCTeSY-U\">Senator Eric Schmitt\/YouTube<\/a>       <\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-share text-center article-share-simple\">\n<h5 class=\"label-sm mb-10\">Share<\/h5>\n<ul class=\"article-share-list list-unstyled m-0 p-0\">\n<li class=\"article-share-facebook m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/03\/13\/sen-schmitt-we-need-to-reform-broken-legal-immigration-system-that-welcomes-terrorists-hurts-americans\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-facebook\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Facebook<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-twitter m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=Sen.%20Schmitt:%20%E2%80%98We%20Need%20To%20Reform%E2%80%99%20Broken%20Legal%20Immigration%20System%20That%20Welcomes%20Terrorists,%20Hurts%20Americans&amp;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/03\/13\/sen-schmitt-we-need-to-reform-broken-legal-immigration-system-that-welcomes-terrorists-hurts-americans\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Twitter<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-truth-social m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/share?title=Sen.%20Schmitt:%20%E2%80%98We%20Need%20To%20Reform%E2%80%99%20Broken%20Legal%20Immigration%20System%20That%20Welcomes%20Terrorists,%20Hurts%20Americans&amp;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/03\/13\/sen-schmitt-we-need-to-reform-broken-legal-immigration-system-that-welcomes-terrorists-hurts-americans\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" fill=\"currentColor\" style=\"width:36px;height:auto;\" viewbox=\"0 0 92 93\"><path d=\"M69.444 55.716H56.772v10.37h12.672zM64.487 37.795V27.32H38.666v38.664h13.18v-28.19zM21.05 27.321h12.653v10.471H21.051z\" https:><\/path><\/svg>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Truth Social<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-link m-0\">       <button data-clipboard-text=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/03\/13\/sen-schmitt-we-need-to-reform-broken-legal-immigration-system-that-welcomes-terrorists-hurts-americans\/\" data-tooltip-content=\"Copied!\" class=\"clip tooltip\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-link-variant\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Copy Article Link<\/span>       <\/button>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\">       <a href=\"mailto:?subject=Sen.%20Schmitt:%20%E2%80%98We%20Need%20To%20Reform%E2%80%99%20Broken%20Legal%20Immigration%20System%20That%20Welcomes%20Terrorists,%20Hurts%20Americans&amp;body=%20https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/03\/13\/sen-schmitt-we-need-to-reform-broken-legal-immigration-system-that-welcomes-terrorists-hurts-americans\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-email\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article via Email<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\"><span class=\"printfriendly pf-button  pf-alignleft\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\" rel=\"nofollow\" onclick=\"window.print(); return false;\" title=\"Printer Friendly, PDF &amp; Email\"><span id=\"printfriendly-text2\" class=\"pf-button-text\"><i class=\"mdi mdi-printer\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<p>Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., is calling out America&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/bryan-steil-fixing-broken-immigration-system-should-include-border-wall\/\" title=\"Bryan Steil: Fixing &#039;...&#039; Immigration System Should Include Border Wall\">broken legal immigration system<\/a> following two terrorist attacks by naturalized U.S. citizens from the Third World. <\/p>\n<p>The moment came on Thursday when the Show Me State&rsquo;s junior senator <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=115rCTeSY-U\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">joined<\/a> Fox News&rsquo; <em>The Ingraham Angle <\/em>to discuss the ongoing Democrat-led shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). <\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2 d-flex justify-content-center\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; \" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-554318382\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1463670073398-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Schmitt blasted the Democrats&rsquo; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/why-joe-bidens-foreign-policy-reset-will-be-a-disaster\/\" title=\"Why Joe Biden\u2019s Foreign Policy \u2018Reset\u2019 Will Be A Disaster\">open border policies<\/a> and espoused support for the Trump administration&rsquo;s closing of the U.S.-Mexico border and deportation of illegal aliens. He also notably took the time to address the need to reform the country&rsquo;s legal immigration system. <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;A lot of these people have come in legally. A lot of American workers have been displaced by foreign workers. A lot of American students have been displaced by these visa mills at universities and tax breaks that companies get after the fact,&rdquo; Schmitt said. &ldquo;So, we&rsquo;ve got a lot of work to do, but we clearly have laws right now that need to be enforced.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><strong>[RELATED:[RELATED:<a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/12\/23\/how-many-chinese-visa-holders-have-to-be-arrested-before-trump-stops-importing-them-into-our-universities\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">How Many Chinese Visa Holders Have To Be Charged Before Trump Stops Importing Them Into Our Universities?<\/a>]<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The comments came hours after two foreign-born U.S. citizens carried out separate terrorist attacks in Virginia and Michigan. <\/p>\n<p>In Virginia, 36-year-old Mohamed Bailor Jalloh &mdash; a former Army National Guardsman from Sierra Leone &mdash; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/us\/old-dominion-university-rotc-cadets-disarm-isis-supporter-shouting-allahu-akbar-during-shooting-officials\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reportedly<\/a> shouted &ldquo;Allahu Akbar&rdquo; while open firing inside an Old Dominion University facility. Jalloh was previously convicted for supporting ISIS in 2017 but was released from custody by the Biden administration in 2024.<\/p>\n<p>The now-deceased Islamic suspect was reportedly disarmed by a group of ROTC students. His attack, however, resulted in the death of Lt. Col. Brandon Shah, an ODU <a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20251211190516\/https:\/\/www.odu.edu\/armyrotc\/about\/cadre\/professor-chair\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">professor<\/a> and the school&rsquo;s ROTC program chair, who previously served overseas in the Middle East. Shah was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcwashington.com\/news\/local\/old-dominion-university-shooter-killed-rotc-instructor-in-classroom\/4075197\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">awarded<\/a> two bronze stars for his service.<\/p>\n<p>In Michigan, Lebanese-born Ayman Mohamad Ghazali allegedly used a vehicle to attack the Temple Israel synagogue in West Bloomfield. According to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/live-news\/michigan-synagogue-shooting\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Fox News<\/a>, Ghazali entered the United States in May 2011 &ldquo;on an IR1 immigrant visa as the spouse of a U.S. citizen,&rdquo; and later obtained U.S. citizenship in February 2016. <\/p>\n<p>  Ghazali was reportedly killed by members of the synagogue&rsquo;s security team upon exiting his vehicle with a gun. There were no reported casualties as a result of the team&rsquo;s heroism. <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We need to make sure the border remains closed. The deportations need to continue, regardless of the Democrat[s] whining about it.&nbsp;&hellip; And then also, we need to reform our legal immigration system,&rdquo; Schmitt said. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">\n<div class=\"article-author-description fst-italic\">      Shawn Fleetwood is a staff writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington. He is a co-recipient of the 2025 Dao Prize for Excellence in Investigative Journalism. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics and RealClearHealth. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-30 bdr-top-bold-black\">\n<div class=\"row g-0 align-items-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6\">\n<div class=\"article-author-profile d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center justify-content-md-start\">\n<div class=\"article-author-details\">\n<div class=\"label-md\">Shawn Fleetwood<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author-twitter label-sm d-flex align-items-center mt-10\">             <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter me-5\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>             <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Visit on Twitter<\/span>            <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ShawnFleetwood\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-decoration-none\">@ShawnFleetwood<\/a>           <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6 d-flex justify-content-center justify-content-md-end mt-15 mt-md-0\">        <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/author\/shawnfleetwood\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">More Articles<\/a>     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-tags bdr-top-black mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-15 pt-md-45\">\n<ul class=\"list-unstyled d-flex flex-wrap align-items-center mb-0 mx-n10 p-0\">\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/assimilation\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">assimilation<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/dhs\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">DHS<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/eric-schmitt\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Eric Schmitt<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/illegal-immigration\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Illegal Immigration<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/islam\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Islam<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/islamic-terrorism\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Islamic terrorism<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/legal-immigration\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">legal immigration<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/mass-migration\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">mass migration<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/michigan\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Michigan<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/senate-democrats\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Senate Democrats<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/terrorist-attacks\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">terrorist attacks<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/virginia\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Virginia<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Schmitt cites broken legal immigration after attacks<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":539,"featured_media":2579610,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Eric-Schmitt.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[3813,4353,20221],"class_list":["post-2579609","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-immigration","tag-reform","tag-schmitt"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Eric-Schmitt.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2579609","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/539"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2579609"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2579609\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2579613,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2579609\/revisions\/2579613"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2579610"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2579609"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2579609"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2579609"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}