Washington, DC - Dan Weber, president of the Association of Mature American Citizens [AMAC], is calling on Congress to "put an end to lax immigration procedures that allow terrorists entry to the U.S. in the guise of family relationships."

Weber wants lawmakers to put an end to the provision of the American immigration program known as "chain migration."  He points out that the most recent act of radical Islamic terror perpetrated in the U.S. earlier this week in New York City was the act of an immigrant who entered the U.S. under the provision.

The 27-year-old man, Akayed Ullah, a Bangladeshi immigrant who came into the country in 2011, was arrested after allegedly detonating a pipe bomb in the underground pedestrian tunnel of one of the busiest subway stations in New York City during rush hour.  The crude, homemade device may not have worked as intended since there were no fatalities although the explosion resulted in the wounding of five persons, including Ullah.  Police said he told them he did it for ISIS.

"In my opinion, we have God to thank for limiting the mayhem at the hands of a maniac.  But, we have chain migration to thank for letting him into the country in the first place," says Weber.

According to the Federation for American Immigration Reform the majority of immigrants entering the U.S. "receive a green card simply because they are the relative of an earlier migrant, not because of what they can contribute to American society.  This creates a 'chain' of immigrants who can then sponsor other immigrants in the same manner.  These, in turn, may sponsor more immigrants, and so on."

The New York Times reported in August that "In 2014, 64 percent of immigrants admitted with legal residency were immediate relatives of American citizens or sponsored by family members.  Just 15 percent entered through employment-based preferences."

After the New York City bombing attempt, Jessica M. Vaughan, Director of Policy Studies at the Center for Immigration Studies, posted a report of the incident on the Center's Web site.  She wrote that "no matter how much we improve our vetting, the sheer momentum of chain migration-driven immigration from terror-afflicted parts of the world is itself a national security risk."

Sen. David Perdue [R-GA] and Sen. Tom Cotton [R-Ark] are sponsoring the Reforming American Immigration for Strong Employment Act.  The RAISE act would establish a merit-based immigration system to replace chain migration.  Weber says he would like to see bipartisan support for the legislation, describing it as a "necessity" whether you are a Democrat or a Republican.

Says Weber: "President Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell have both thrown their support for the RAISE act because it brings the country back to its senses.  It doesn't mean that we give up on immigration as a country; it simply means that we take a sensible, rational approach to immigration-one that protects the nation and that does not leave us vulnerable to the whims of unvetted guests.  We live in dangerous times.  Our national security is at risk, as are the lives of our citizens.  Radical Islamic terrorists make no secret of their intentions and we'd be fools to ignore their threats."