by: Liana DeMasi
ISIS is claiming to have beheaded a third American hostage in a video released this past Sunday. The hostage was Peter Kassig, a former militant who formed a group called Special Emergency Response and Assistance (SERA) to provide aid for Syrian refugees. Intelligence officials have recently confirmed the authenticity of the video. Kassig had previously converted to Islam and took the name Abdul Rahman. Prior to the video, Kassig’s family and friends pleaded with ISIS to let Kassig go saying that, “he is a Muslim and has not participated in what his country is doing” and that “he [had] helped [people] and we should ask for mercy for him.”
Included in the video were threats against American soil where ISIS said that they were going to take their fight to the American streets. It is becoming evident that the airstrikes being sent by the United States may be insufficient in the fight against ISIS. Many believe that sending ground troops would be more effective in dealing with the threat.
The multiple videos of beheadings and the advancing ISIS threat has brought up the inquiry as to why the United States has not yet restricted immigration from high-risk countries. But, with the recent immigration law that Obama passed that could allow millions of illegal citizens to gain citizenship, it doesn’t appear that the Obama administration will be tightening its immigration policy anytime soon. Yet, with the threat of an ISIS attack on our soil, many citizens are becoming more and more concerned about our safety.