Politics & Power Quote by Chris Cannon

Cannon’s line is engineered to do two things at once: validate a broad, almost bipartisan anxiety about borders while quietly routing that anxiety into the most politically potent channel available - terrorism. The opening clause, “rightly concerned,” functions as a permission slip. It tells listeners their worry is not only understandable but correct, pre-empting accusations of paranoia or prejudice. Then comes the crucial pivot: “because the system is broken.” That phrase is deliberately vague, a diagnostic without a chart, inviting different audiences to plug in their preferred grievance - undocumented immigration, bureaucratic backlog, porous enforcement, humanitarian strain - without Cannon having to choose and alienate anyone.

The second sentence narrows the emotional temperature. “Some are concerned” sounds modest, even careful, but the content is maximal: terrorists “crossing our borders” and “coming into our cities.” It’s a classic post-9/11 rhetorical move, translating policy complexity into a cinematic threat narrative. Borders aren’t just lines on a map; they become the front door to the homeland, and cities become the implied target. The word “possibility” offers just enough deniability to avoid making a direct allegation while still activating fear.

Context matters: as a mid-2000s Republican voice, Cannon is speaking from an era when immigration debates were being reframed through national security after 9/11 and during fights over comprehensive reform. The subtext is coalition management: reassure hardliners that enforcement is paramount, reassure moderates that the concern is “integrity,” and build a case for action without specifying whether that action is reform, restriction, or surveillance. The genius - and the hazard - is how “broken system” becomes a blank check for whatever solution power prefers.