Immediately after the events of September 11, 2001, the Federal Government placed a higher priority on obvious aspects of homeland security, such as intelligence reform, as opposed to border security. However, the government as well as the American public eventually reasoned that in order for a high-magnitude attack like September 11 to occur, something had to be seriously wrong with the border security apparatuses that were in place at the time. After all, every single one of the terrorist hijackers on September 11 had been a recipient of a temporary U.S tourist visa, which means they were legally allowed to be in the United States. If nineteen men who were committed to causing harm to Americans were capable of getting past the government screening restrictions that were in place, one could only imagine how great of a threat to America was posed by the largely unchecked long Canada–US border, the long Mexico–US border, and the many unsecured ports. However, the American public also questions why cracking down on illegal entries will hinder the ability of terrorists who enter the country legally.