Politics is once again subsumed by the immigration debate.
Some cable news commentators and politicians are ominously warning that waves of COVID-19-infected Latin American immigrants are crossing from Mexico into the United States. I fear that the ugly scourge of xenophobia and virulent anti-immigrant sentiment seems to have once again seeped into our public discourse. For some, perhaps, it is little more than a fear tactic designed to score political points in border states. Regardless, these days, it is near impossible to discuss in a rational manner what is a legitimate national security concern. Namely, how to balance our nation’s inspiring history of true compassion for the downtrodden with overstretched government resources that are woefully insufficient to care for those in need. We are no closer to solving the complex immigration issue given the nastiness of the rhetoric.
The toxicity has saddened me considerably. In my 26 years working at the Central Intelligence Agency, I worked hand in glove with numerous Americans who had immigrated from foreign lands and served our country with great distinction. I have my own story to tell. I was born in Greece to a Greek father and American mother, thereby qualifying as an American citizen. Still, my Greek background was omnipresent in my upbringing and in my career as an operations officer.
My father was truly an immigrant. Our family still recalls the name of the ship that he sailed on across the Atlantic in the late 1950s. Later serving in the Arab world, I was often seen as a Greek versus an American official, and this opened doors. Sometimes, for example, it offered access to previously inaccessible recruitment targets. So many of my other former colleagues who immigrated from all over the world were rich in language and cultural understanding, providing an invaluable addition to the intelligence community.
Individuals from Latin America, the Middle East, and the former Soviet Union, among other locations, contributed to our nation’s defense, from the halls of Washington, street corners in East Africa and Asia, to the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan. I have seen these Americans receive intelligence medals for herculean episodes of bravery and operational street work that saved U.S. lives. This diversity, yes, let’s say it, diversity, was at times the CIA’s key operational weapon. It allowed our officers to penetrate terrorist groups, weapons proliferators, and hard-target countries such as China and Iran. I was proud to work beside these officers and call them my brothers and sisters. To be clear, these Americans demonstrated more patriotism and love for this country in one day than so many political figures who stomp their feet on cable TV and scream about the invading hordes would show in a lifetime.
Vignettes of the immigrant experience abound in the intelligence community.
A family leaves a war-ravaged country in the Middle East in the mid-1970s, with the mother and two children braving a trip to the cold reaches of upper New England. They arrive with nothing to their name. One of the daughters recalls to this day that her English was so poor, she was mocked in school. Feelings of exclusion and not belonging dominated, as she dressed differently and ate what looked like “funny” food to her classmates. Yet, she persevered in her new life and took every opportunity to better herself and her family.
Fast-forward four-plus decades, and this lady is a member of the government’s senior executive service. This service represents the highest rank of the civilian federal workforce. This lady speaks multiple languages, has led clandestine operations across nearly every continent around the globe, all the time invisible while wearing an abaya. She is unsuspecting to our adversaries, eating their lunch by stealing their secrets day after day.
A young man of Middle Eastern background joins the intelligence community, rising through the ranks with an infectious twinkle in his eye and omnipresent smile. He suffers no fools with his wit but always entertains his colleagues by serving legendary araq, the anise-based alcoholic drink of the region. This officer was comfortable in the salons of Riyadh and the souks of Istanbul. In one legendary operation, while posing as another nationality, he actually purchased an entire weapon system from a rogue regime. Could a non-immigrant have pulled this off? I think not.
One of my former mentors and one of the great Arabists of our time, Charlie Seidel, once told the famed chief of a Middle Eastern intelligence service that he had “hundreds” of Arab American case officers at his disposal, all ready to deploy to his particular country. Charlie said this in a subtle but biting manner, designed for pure effect. This was in response to a demarche from the service chief that the CIA had deployed an Arab American officer, which he deemed to be an insult given the loyalty of our officer to America vis-à-vis his place of birth in the Arab world. The look on his face after Charlie’s comment was priceless and probably caused a giant headache for the local counterintelligence chief, who then saw CIA officers under every rock!
To me, this story is a perfect overview of how we win when using our best athletes — in this case, our Arab American case officers. Love of country runs deep in the intelligence community immigrant experience. It is a matter of fact that CIA Director William Burns presides over a talent pool in which immigrants must play an outsize role in defending this great nation. This requirement for diversity, as personified precisely by the immigrant experience, truly is our secret weapon. Many intelligence officials like myself, born outside the U.S., do not see today’s immigrants on our border desperate for a better life as the scourge that will destroy America. Perhaps that was us many moons ago.
We must remember that our intelligence community immigrants succeeded in America because America gave them an opportunity. Like me, they shed tears during the national anthem and get choked up seeing the American flag flying over a U.S. embassy in every country they have served. Let us remember their story and their contributions. Let us remember that their contributions allow all Americans to sleep soundly at night.
So, please, let us never demonize immigrants, including those lining up in Latin America desperately trying to flee poverty and misery. They rightly see America as a bright shining city on the hill. And some of them will, if given the chance, serve America with valor and glory in the future.
