Unaccompanied Central American minors have been pouring across the United States’ southern border by the thousands. The sheer number of children coming across the border raises the question: If these minors are making their way over, who else is illegally entering the U.S.?

A leaked document from the Border Patrol reveals it has apprehended individuals from 75 different countries. According to the document, 71 people from Western Africa have entered the U.S. These individuals originate from countries plagued by an Ebola outbreak. America’s porous borders allow entrance to illegal immigrants who potentially carry a life-threatening disease.

However, it may not be potential disease carriers who are the biggest threat to national safety. Captured individuals hail from countries such as Iran, Iraq, Sudan, Yemen, Somalia, Pakistan and Afghanistan. These nations are known supporters of terrorism.

The 9-11 attacks were perpetrated by terrorists who came into the U.S. legally. Imagine what kind of people could be coming across illegally.

In 2011, Iran unsuccessfully tried to exploit our southern border to murder the Saudi Arabian ambassador and to blow up the Saudi Arabian and Israeli embassies. The terrorists successfully made it into America, but authorities foiled the attack. If immigrants have a good chance of entering illegally, wouldn’t terrorists and other criminals be willing to take the chance?

Former Arizona Congressman J. D. Hayworth has been warning the American public for years about the southern border. “We have left the back door to the United States open,” he said in 2010. “There are definitely people who mean to do us harm who have crossed that border.”

In July, American security contractors found a Muslim prayer rug on the American side of the border security fence. This is not the first time Muslim belongings have been found near the border. Texas Border Patrol agents also reported such a find in 2010.

“[C]learly our enemies and our adversaries understand that it is a weakness,” Rep. Mike Rogers said on cnn’s “State of the Union.” “We have seen a trend of countries that we are very concerned about, a rise in individuals being apprehended at the border. The scary part about that is those are just the ones that get apprehended.”

As long as this “weakness” goes unattended, people of all backgrounds can continue to enter the United States illegally. There is nothing stopping terrorists crossing the border and attacking targets inside the United States, putting many people’s lives at risk.

Even with the documented entry of terrorists and other dangerous criminals, the national government does not seem to be interested in securing the border. The longer the border remains “open,” the chance of a significant terrorist attack on American soil becomes greater.

The leader of the Islamic State terrorist group, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, stated in January, “Our last message is to the Americans. Soon we will be in direct confrontation, and the sons of Islam have prepared for such a day.”

Could this extremist be planning to exploit America’s southern border?

Why won’t our leaders do anything about this national security risk? Read Trumpet columnist Brad Macdonald’s article “America: Terrorists on the Doorstep.”