Two aspects of the breaking news about a terror plot being thwarted at JFK. First is the recognition we need all eyes and ears on the terrorists. Second, legal immigrants again are at the heart of the plot – NOT undocumented workers

Four people have been charged. One is in custody in New York. Three suspects are thought to be overseas.

Sources said a cargo worker at JFK allegedly began to plot attacking the US last July or August. The cargo worker sought help in carrying out a plan and went to an FBI informant, who gathered information about the plot.

The cargo worker is a U.S. citizen with roots in Guyana. Sources said he be a former government official in Guyana.

Thankfully our law enforcement resources were being diverted to round up nannies and waiters and cooks and painters and taxicab drivers who, while have not committed any serious crimes, are still here illegally. These attacks are going to increase as we stifle al Qaeda’s hopes in Iraq. As I reported al Qaeda is diverting new recruits away from Iraq (probably because it is now a lost cause). And what does the far right propose? Yep leaving us with our poor security situation longer while they ignore everything but their obsessions with workers here who are undocumented, but otherwise non-criminals.

The threat is from people getting here legally so they can operate without much suspicion. Illegal entry, as with 9-11, attracts too much unneeded attention. We have dodged a bullet again. We have probably used the NSA surveillance program to monitor the calls to the overseas partners in this attack. We probably started without a FISA warrant but graduated to one just as Bush said the program would work. And all of this is being missed by the far right which is off complaining about being insulted because they do not have Bush in their corner on one issue. And their solution? Walk away and let more liberals get elected so they can tear down the NSA program and make the illegals citizens immediately. There’s a winning plan. H/T reader DaleInAtlanta (sorry Dale, I did not take from this what you probably expected)

Update: I cannot emphasize too much how important the NSA Surveillance program is in detecting plots of this type. Here are some more details regarding the plot which show it was primarily being planned overseas to avoid detection:

A third law enforcement official said the suspects include a Guyanese man who used to work at the airport and was arrested in New York City on Friday night. Two other suspects were apprehended in Trinidad.

Investigators were seeking a fourth suspect in Trinidad.

The official said the plotters had conducted surveillance on giant jet fuel tanks at JFK and the pipeline. They had taken surveillance video of the targets and took it to Trinidad to review the tape, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the arrests were not yet announced.

The official said investigators first found out about the plot in January 2006. After that, an informant infiltrated the group.

The NSA Surveillance program had to have played a major role in this action. Taking video of neighborhoods, etc is not sufficient cause for surveillance. The fact the plot was being planned overseas and involved one person here in the US most likely meant the NSA picked up on the purpose of the videos, etc. Once detected the FBI investigated until sufficient evidence was developed – independent of any NSA information – to get full up FISA warrants in place. I am speculating, but the example is valid. And why we need to make sure the ACLU and other liberal outfits do not dismantle the now fully legal program.