Who Are America's Post 9/11 Era Terrorists?

Last week, Donald Trump signed an executive order banning immigration from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. The president said the order would protect American people from the threat posed by jihadist terrorism but is that really likely? Research from the New America Foundation suggests otherwise.

Even though the attacks on 9/11 were perpetrated by foreign infiltrators, every single jihadist who conducted a lethal attack in the U.S. since then was either a citizen or legal resident. No fatal attacks in the post 9/11 era were committed by terrorists from the countries restricted by Trump's travel ban. The following infographic provides an overview of the citizenship status of all people charged with or who died engaging in jihadist terrorism in the U.S. since 2001.

190 of them (82 percent) are U.S. citizens and permanent residents while refugees and illegal immigrants have been involved in very few terrorist incidents. Last week, U.S. Sens. John McCain and Lindsey Graham issued a statement, saying that they believe the order "may do more to help terrorist recruitment than improve our security" due to the signal it sends to the Muslim world.

It also emerged in recent days that Iraqi Air Force fighter pilots will no longer be admitted to Arizona to undergo flight training to combat the Islamic State. A study by the Cato Institute sums up why the fear-mongering of foreigners is arguably misplaced. According to their findings, Americans are 253 times more likely to die in an ordinary homicide than a terrorist attack carried out by a foreigner in the U.S.