More troubling news about that EB-5 visa program that is causing problems for Republicans in South Dakota government, this time dealing with national security threats. And the problem has national attention.

From Fox News:

A federal program that allows foreign investors to obtain a U.S. visa by investing large sums in U.S. commercial projects is raising security concerns, particularly over whether the program can be “infiltrated” by potential terrorists.

The new concerns about the decades-old EB-5 Immigrant Investor program were raised by the Department of Homeland Security, following questions related to whether two Iranian operatives might have been trying to participate. Those operatives were allegedly involved in a network exporting items “for use by ‘secret’ Iranian government agencies” — and “appeared to be involved in a series of international assassination and terrorism operations,” according to an internal memo by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The internal memo was issued as a result of concerns focused on the visa program’s Regional Centers pilot project. The memo ultimately suggested closing legislative and background-check loopholes and concluded “there are no safeguards that can be put in place that will ensure the integrity of the [Regional Center] model.”

However, the suggestions were not included when the program was reauthorized last year, which prompted Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley to ask ICE to provide additional information about the program’s vulnerability to “terrorists, espionage, money laundering” and other illegal activity. This comes on top of complaints that the program could be susceptible to political pressure.

The EB-5 visa program seems to be a favorite of politicians who like to grease the wheels for their political contributor friends:

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid also was recently accused of pressuring Mayorkas’ office to approve EB-5 visas for investors in a Las Vegas casino hotel.

David North, a fellow at the conservative-leaning Center for Immigration Studies, argues the broad concern is perhaps U.S. middle men scamming foreign investors and the investors essentially buying an American visa.

North also said it seems the regional centers concept seems to be “gerrymandered” to aid domestic investors in big projects.

This used to be the kind of corruption you expected from Democrats–mainly because Republicans were more in touch with traditional values and also understood that government has no business meddling in the free market–but it is no longer confined to the Democrat Party anymore.

Meanwhile, South Dakota Governor Dennis Daugaard is gearing up for another trip to China–evoking memories of another EB-5 deal involving China that went south for South Dakota that began under former governor and current U.S. Senate candidate Mike Rounds.

It may have escaped the notice of some, but China is a communist nation that brutally represses and oppresses its own people, and is belligerent toward free nations like the United States; about the only thing they like about us are all the dollars we are pouring into their defense buildup via our debt to them and our lopsided trade arrangement. These are NOT the kind of people we want to be getting in bed with economically…or in any other way.

What will it take for us to learn that you can’t embrace dangerous things without getting burned?

*** Bob Ellis *** Is a conservative writer and Life and Liberty News contributor

More commentary from Bob Ellis can be seen daily on the American Clarion