Whereas almost all Central Americans who illegally entered the United States prior to the new policy actively and immediately sought out U.S. Border Patrol agents so they could make their asylum claims and be quickly released legally, these migrants were planning to run, hide, and evade the Border Patrol at all costs to reach the American interior undetected. By Todd Bensman as published … [Read more...] about On the Ground in Mexico: Trump’s “Wait in Mexico” Policy, Returned Migrants Crashing the Border
Foreign Correspondence
On the Ground in Juarez, Mexico: Trump “Remain in Mexico” policy working as UN buses load up Central Americans for rides home. But for how long?
In Juarez, confirmation that Trump's Remain in Mexico policy is driving asylum claimant decisions to return home. In two Juarez city shelters, a Honduran mother of two children, a young single Honduran woman, and a young single man from Guatemalan say they're going home rather than to lose the prospect of living illegally in the United States. CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico – The New York Times … [Read more...] about On the Ground in Juarez, Mexico: Trump “Remain in Mexico” policy working as UN buses load up Central Americans for rides home. But for how long?
ISIS Commander Arrested in Hungary Held Refugee Passport Enabling Unrestricted Air Travel
The arrest of Hassan also raises the question of whether Greece, as a key refugee transit country, is properly vetting higher risk migrants for potential ties to ISIS before granting refugee status and conferring its benefits. The United States has reportedly been assisting Greece, to some extent, in vetting incoming migrants and refugees to determine whether any are terrorists. By Todd … [Read more...] about ISIS Commander Arrested in Hungary Held Refugee Passport Enabling Unrestricted Air Travel
Report from Hungary’s Fenced Borderlands
Not lost on the Hungarians, at least, are the parallels to the current mass illegal migration from Central America over America's southern border, projected to exceed one million in 2019, and as President Donald Trump contemplates building barriers and closing the U.S.-Mexico border. Hungary's fence-with-policies model justifies consideration in an ideas-hungry United States. By Todd Bensman … [Read more...] about Report from Hungary’s Fenced Borderlands
Inside Mexico’s Migrant Caravan Shelter near the Texas Rio Grande Border
During a mid-February visit to the Texas-Mexico border, Bensman gained exclusive, rare access to the improvised migrant detention camp in Piedras Negras and also toured the American law enforcement defense arrayed on the other side against a potential mass entry into Texas. In the end, he found, it is the migrants who will get everything they wanted. Originally published by the Center for … [Read more...] about Inside Mexico’s Migrant Caravan Shelter near the Texas Rio Grande Border
Exclusive Report: A Promised Panama Investigation of Iran-Hezbollah for ’94 Plane Bombing Likely Suppressed
On a reporting trip to Panama in December 2018, Bensman checked up on a promised investigation of Iranian-Hezbollah involvement in the 1994 bombing of Las Chiricanas Flight 901, which killed 12 Panamanian Jews. He came home with strong doubts that any such investigation was happening. As published in The Federalist January 23, 2019 See November 9, 2020 … [Read more...] about Exclusive Report: A Promised Panama Investigation of Iran-Hezbollah for ’94 Plane Bombing Likely Suppressed
Video Report: Panama and Costa Rica Doing Smugglers’ Work with “Controlled Flow” Policy
Under a policy known as "controlled flow", the governments of Panama and Costa Rica grease the skids to get them smoothly and safely to Nicaragua, Honduras, and Mexico, where organized smugglers can take over again, CIS is told. By Todd Bensman as originally published by the Center for Immigration Studies on December 27, 2018 YAVIZA, DARIEN PROVINCE, Panama — Out of an … [Read more...] about Video Report: Panama and Costa Rica Doing Smugglers’ Work with “Controlled Flow” Policy
Interview with an Iranian Migrant in Costa Rica En Route to the U.S. Border
Four Iranian migrants found in Costa Rica en route to the U.S. southern border talk about their long journey, travel methods and hopes for U.S. asylum. But might they be part of Iranian intelligence or worse, Hezbollah operatives? By Todd Bensman as originally published December 20, 2018 by the Center for Immigration Studies GOLFITO, Costa Rica — Iranian citizen Sina Zandi … [Read more...] about Interview with an Iranian Migrant in Costa Rica En Route to the U.S. Border
Four U.S.-Bound Iranian Migrants Underline National Security Concerns about Migration from Special Interest Countries
Maybe they'll achieve their asylum claims. But whatever happens, they're all in for serious interrogations once they reach the American border; At issue for American intelligence personnel who will flock to whatever detention center they're in, of course, will be determining whether they are Iranian intelligence agents, members of Hezbollah's notorious Unit 910, or merely victims of a harsh … [Read more...] about Four U.S.-Bound Iranian Migrants Underline National Security Concerns about Migration from Special Interest Countries
VIDEO Report: How America Uses Bio-metrics to Filter Potential Terrorists in Distant Lands
American homeland security authorities have long been wary about unidentified migrants who emigrate from Muslim-majority countries where Islamist terrorist organizations operate. So the U.S. has provided equipment and training to Panama, Costa Rica and other Central American countries to collect fingerprints, facial-recognition photos and retinal eye scans. By Todd Bensman as originally … [Read more...] about VIDEO Report: How America Uses Bio-metrics to Filter Potential Terrorists in Distant Lands