America is a land built on faith, family, and freedom. For generations, we have welcomed immigrants from around the world—men and women who came here not just for opportunity, but to become Americans. They learned our language, respected our laws, and raised their children to love this country. Sadly, something has gone wrong. A recent terror plot stopped by federal agents shows that we are no longer asking enough of those who come here. We are not teaching them to love America. And now, we are paying the price.
Six young men—some from Michigan, others from Washington and New Jersey—have been arrested for allegedly planning a mass shooting on Halloween and seeking to join the Islamic State, a brutal terrorist group known for beheadings and bombings. These were not men fighting overseas. These were young men living among us, going to school, living in stable homes, and, in one case, the child of a college professor. Yet they chose to plan murder and war against the very country that gave them shelter.
This is not just a story about terrorism. It is a story about a country that has forgotten how to defend its way of life. The suspects used secret codes in online chats—calling jihad a “vacation” and guns “pew.” They plotted to kill innocent Americans in bars in Detroit, just like the bloody attacks in Paris in 2015 or the nightclub massacre in Orlando in 2016. One even rushed to leave the country when he realized the authorities were closing in. He was caught at the airport, trying to fly overseas to join enemies of the United States.
What went wrong? As Lora Ries from the Heritage Foundation put it, this is a failure of assimilation. We have stopped teaching people what it means to be American. We no longer demand loyalty, respect, or even a shared language. Instead, we are told that all cultures are equal, and that asking people to blend into our society is somehow wrong. This is the result: young men who live in America but feel no love for her.
The danger is not just in lone wolves. Ries notes that we are now seeing radicalization in groups. These aren’t just isolated cases. This is a growing problem, brought on by internet propaganda, weak borders, and a culture that refuses to stand up for itself. Some of these young men had connections overseas—to the UK, Sweden, and Nigeria. Some had already been questioned by the FBI, and one was tied to a Canadian terror investigation. Still, they moved forward with their evil plans.
We must return to basics. We must teach real civics again—what it means to be an American. We must speak one language and stand united as a nation. We must teach immigrants to love this country, not just live in it. And we must be ready to say that not every idea is welcome on our soil. Radical Islam has no place in the United States.
President Trump is already taking the right steps. His administration is cracking down on illegal immigration, restoring neighborhood visits for naturalization checks, and making sure that new citizens are loyal to the country they are joining. These are the actions of a leader who understands that a nation must protect its people—and its values.
The enemies of America are not always foreign armies. Sometimes they are young men in our own cities, raised in comfort but poisoned by hate. We must be brave enough to call this what it is: a war of ideas. And we must fight it with truth, tradition, and the courage to defend what is right.
America is worth defending. But we must believe that ourselves—and teach it to the next generation—before it’s too late.
