The apprehension of a Nepalese man who tried to cross our southern border illegally last November near McAllen, Texas, makes the very unsettling point that border security could be a life and death matter for our citizens.

The man in question was found to be infected with a particularly deadly strain of tuberculosis known as XDR, which can be almost untreatable.

This strain is resistant to the two most powerful drugs used to treat TB as well as some of the second tier drugs used to treat this illness.

Only a few generations ago, TB was considered fatal. Treatment options involving a combination of drugs seemed to have brought this scourge under control until recently.

Regretfully, because of substandard medical treatment in some parts of the world, we are seeing the emergence of a very dangerous mutated strain.

This strain had only been seen once before in this country prior to last November.

It is gratifying that the Nepalese man was apprehended and placed in quarantine, but the great unknown is how many more similarly infected individuals may have slipped across the border undetected.

Border security is certainly better now than it was a few years ago, but the real question should be is it good enough.

The fact our border is still more porous than it should be is certainly not lost on the likes of al-Qaida. Are terrorist sleeper cells here already that used this entry point?

For the health and safety of our citizens, border security must be an integral part of needed immigration reform.

There is another reason found in the U.S. Constitution that in our judgment has received far too little attention.

Article 4, section 4 states that “The United States shall guarantee to every state in this Union a Republican Form of Government and shall protect each of them against invasion.”

It is not much of a stretch to suggest that when millions of illegal immigrants enter our country contrary to our laws, it rises to the level of an invasion.

— Distributed by The Associated Press