Thursday at a Defense Department press conference, General Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said “open borders” and ‘immigration issues” make ISIS an immediate threat.

Dempsey said, “Because of open borders and immigration issues, it is an immediate threat, that is to say, the fighters who may leave the current fight and migrate home. Longer-term, it is about ISIS’ vision.”

“I actually call them ISIS because it easier for me to remember their long-term vision is the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham which includes the current state of Lebanon, Israel and Kuwait,” he continued. “If they achieve that vision, it would fundamentally alter the face of the Middle-east and create a security environment that would certainly threaten us.”

Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN