Debate Night

Don't forget tonight's Republican presidential debates on CNN. The "happy hour" debate begins at 6:00 p.m. ET and the main debate will follow at 8:00 p.m.

Foreign policy is expected to be the dominant topic in tonight's debate, and the items below will explain why.

What Is Happening?

The Washington political establishment largely views immigration as an economic issue. In their view, more workers, no matter where they come from, equal more taxpayers and greater economic growth.

Many on the left and even some on the right see immigration as a humanitarian issue -- whether they support open borders or feel compelled to support immigration out of a sense of compassion.

I think the issue is far more complex. Regular readers of this report know that, in this post-9/11 world, I view border security and immigration policy as essential elements of national security.

So with that understanding, let me give you a few updates on the refugee crisis now confronting Europe.

British Prime Minister David Cameron announced last week that his country would accept 20,000 Syrian refugees. This week he made a surprise visit to a refugee camp in Lebanon. What he learned there should concern everyone.

The Lebanese education minister told Cameron that two out of every 100 Syrian migrants are ISIS fighters being sent "under cover" to attack the West. "It's a very dangerous situation and the world should wake up and do something about that," Elias Bousaab said. "ISIS will not stop at the border with Lebanon."

Let's do the math. Cameron is willing to bring 20,000 refugees into England. If two out of every 100 are ISIS fighters, that's 20 out of 1,000, 200 out of 10,000. So the prime minister, undoubtedly acting out of the goodness of his heart, could be importing 400 ISIS fighters into Great Britain.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel announced recently that her country would take 800,000 refugees. If Minister Bousaab is correct, that means as many as 16,000 ISIS fighters could be coming into Germany.

That may be the tip of the iceberg. A recent survey found that more than one-fifth of Syrians support ISIS.

Something serious is happening.

In the past few days, Germany abruptly reversed course, reimposing border controls. According to CNN, the German interior minister declared that the border controls were "urgently necessary for security reasons."

One German official said yesterday, "At least a quarter of those refugees allegedly coming from Syria are not from Syria, but from other Arab or African countries."

In addition, German authorities do know that radical Islamists already there are trying to recruit jihadists from the newly arrived refugees. Remember, we reported a few days ago that more than 70% of the refugees are men -- not women and children.

WWJD?

In recent days, several readers have engaged me with questions about compassion and considering Muslim refugees as a "mission field." No doubt many others are asking themselves, "What would Jesus do?"

As I wrote yesterday, I believe we should take in refugees -- especially the Christians of the Middle East who are facing unimaginable persecution. I can safely say that if relocated to America, they will not be engaging in jihad.

I can also confidently say that while Jesus would want us to act compassionately, there is nothing in his teaching that requires countries to commit suicide. The New Testament teaches Christians that governments are instituted by God to protect the innocent.

Therefore, our government, when considering its immigration and refugee policies, should act in ways that protect Americans as well as those we are trying to help. Open borders that permit convicted criminals to walk in and massive levels of immigration from hostile countries are contrary to that mandate.

I do not believe that the Bible commands us to do things that jeopardize our security, putting more lives at risk. We must address these issues with far more prudence and common sense than is being demonstrated in Washington, D.C., or, seemingly, in Europe.

Al Qaeda & Iran

The Islamic Republic of Iran is once again earning its title as the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism after it released five Al Qaeda leaders from detention.

Western intelligence agencies are on alert, warning, "the release by Iran of senior al Qaeda commanders and operatives represents a significant threat. These are dangerous and experienced operatives with a proven track record in executing deadly terror attacks."

One of the freed terrorists is Saif al Adel. According to an intelligence report cited in British media, Adel participated in the attacks against U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania and the abduction of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl.

Another, Abu al Kheir al Masri, was so important to Al Qaeda that prior to his detention he was viewed as a possible successor to Osama bin Laden.

You may be thinking that Shiite Iran wouldn't dare release these Sunni Al Qaeda extremists. But that misses the bigger picture: Iran and Al Qaeda have an understanding that the West is a common enemy. Osama bin Laden obviously shared the ayatollah's view of America as "the great Satan."

We know of this understanding from documents captured in Osama bin Laden's compound.

Moreover, the Obama Administration frequently pointed to various interactions between Al Qaeda and Iran. Of course, that was when it used to support sanctions against the Islamic Republic because of its terrorist activities.

But thanks to President Obama's nuclear deal and the Democrats in Congress who voted for it, the tyrants in Tehran will be getting as much as $100 billion in sanctions relief to fund Hamas and Hezbollah.