Lawmaker wary of Al Jazeera film

A member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence yesterday said a proposed Al Jazeera documentary on security along the United States’ southwest border could have been “a powerful potential tool for terrorists to enter the United States.”

Rep. Rick Renzi, Arizona Republican, who outlined his concerns in a letter to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Robert C. Bonner, said that while he was happy to see plans for the show had been dropped, he warned of increased attention by special-interest aliens in the United States’ southern borders.

“I was extremely concerned to learn that Al Jazeera was planning to film a documentary on America’s southern border and security issues,” he said. “The need to secure our borders is more important than ever. This show would have had the capability to seriously undermine the safety and security of our nation, especially because the intended audience could be potential terrorists.

“The U.S. is seeing a disturbing increase in special-interest aliens who are trying to gain entry in the United States, and the last thing we need to do is hand over a blueprint on how to enter this nation illegally.”

Al Jazeera, the Arabic news channel, scrapped plans on Tuesday to broadcast an hour-long special on the state of security along the Arizona-Mexico border after Minuteman Civil Defense Corps officials publicly questioned whether its intent was to help terrorists find new routes into the United States.

An spokeswoman at the network’s Washington office said at the time the channel had planned to cover a Minuteman rally over the Fourth of July weekend in Phoenix and then do stories along the border, but the three-minute segment later was cancelled for editorial reasons.

The network said: “Al Jazeera’s Washington bureau was considering a program because we felt it was of importance for our audience because it shed light on domestic politics, economic and security issues in the U.S.A. concerning the border.”

The network said the piece could proceed at another time, adding that “the topic remains an important one from an editorial perspective, so it’s not abandoned as a project.”

Chris Simcox, founder and president of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps, said he refused a request last week by the network for an interview and filming access to Minuteman patrols on the border.

He said Al Jazeera reporter Naisser Hssaini told him the network wanted to highlight the state of security along the U.S. southern border, which would include information on the recent rise in the number of foreign nationals being detained who were identified as other than Mexican.

Mr. Simcox said the Al Jazeera reporter was aware that many non-Mexican detainees are released immediately after their arrest pending future immigration hearings because of a lack of detention space.

“I felt that allowing Al Jazeera to come along on our patrols or to assist them in their report was aiding and abetting the enemy, so we declined,” he said.