By Todd Bensman Middle Easterners do travel the same routes as Hondurans to the U.S. southern border, and rising numbers of suspected terrorists have been apprehended at the border in recent years. President Trump’s recent claim that some Middle Easterners might be among caravan members moving north from Honduras provoked a storm of inquest seeking proof. The president had none to … [Read more...] about Column in The Federalist: If Recent Patterns Hold, Terrorists could end up in any Migrant Caravan
Securing America's Borders
Dispatches from Army Tex-Mex Border Op Formerly Known as ‘Operation Faithful Patriot’
Photos and Video from Bensman's unauthorized visit with U.S. troops of the 19th Engineer Battalion deployed to the Texas-Mexico border Hidalgo, Texas – Unauthorized. That was pretty much the mark on my forehead as far as all the public information officers were concerned. On the morning of my second day to check in on the border military operation formerly known as Operation Faithful Patriot, … [Read more...] about Dispatches from Army Tex-Mex Border Op Formerly Known as ‘Operation Faithful Patriot’
What’s at Stake when Bangladeshis Arrive at the U.S. Southwest Border, in a Migrant Caravan or Not
Out of President Donald Trump's suggestion that "unknown Middle Easterners" might be traveling with the Honduran migrant caravans came disclosures about other nationalities who were traveling either with the caravans or on the same U.S.-border-bound routes. Univision reported that Bangladeshis were spotted moving northward in the migrant caravan alongside Central Americans. … [Read more...] about What’s at Stake when Bangladeshis Arrive at the U.S. Southwest Border, in a Migrant Caravan or Not
Eight Recommendations to Congress and the White House to Counter Potential Terror Travel to the U.S. Southern Border
In recent years, unusually elevated numbers of migrants from countries of special interest reaching the U.S.-Mexico border have been found to match U.S. terrorism "watch lists" — the Terrorist Identities Datamart Environment (TIDE), or the Terrorist Screening Database (TSDB). Such migrants are known as "special interest aliens" (SIAs). These are aliens with citizenship in some 30 countries of … [Read more...] about Eight Recommendations to Congress and the White House to Counter Potential Terror Travel to the U.S. Southern Border
Political Crossfire over the Migrant Caravan Produces New Information on a Real Homeland Security Problem
The fallout continues from President Donald Trump's Monday morning tweet that some "Middle Easterners" were likely among the thousands of Central Americans in the U.S.-bound migrant caravan. To my mind and the minds of many homeland security professionals who know and understand this issue, the president was obviously referencing a homeland security problem about which I often write … [Read more...] about Political Crossfire over the Migrant Caravan Produces New Information on a Real Homeland Security Problem
A Remarkable Unverified Claim by the President of Guatemala: 100 Migrants Linked to Terrorism Arrested in That Country
At a public conference, Guatemala President Jimmy Morales made a striking claim. At a public conference attended by reporters and Vice President Mike Pence last week, Guatemala President Jimmy Morales made a striking claim based on what he said was classified intelligence. The newspaper Prensa Libre quoted President Morales saying, during his turn at the lectern of a major … [Read more...] about A Remarkable Unverified Claim by the President of Guatemala: 100 Migrants Linked to Terrorism Arrested in That Country
New White House National Strategy for Counterterrorism: Europe Migrant-Terrorist Infiltration Phenom Matters to U.S. Land Border Security
The Trump Administration released its National Strategy for Counterterrorism earlier this month. It is the latest iteration of an exercise that has become tradition since the attacks of 9/11. President George W. Bush started the post-9/11 tradition of breaking out the terrorism threat from the broader National Security Strategy with his administration's February … [Read more...] about New White House National Strategy for Counterterrorism: Europe Migrant-Terrorist Infiltration Phenom Matters to U.S. Land Border Security
Terrorist Travel to the United States Southern Border: New State Dept. Report Cites “Vulnerability” of Border to Terrorist Infiltration from Latin America
As explained already at some length in my recent CIS Backgrounder, migrants from Muslim-majority countries routinely get to the U.S. Southwest border by first reaching Latin America and traveling smuggling routes northward. Human smuggling networks that move these so-called "special interest aliens" through Latin America pose a recognized vulnerability of terrorist infiltration, which … [Read more...] about Terrorist Travel to the United States Southern Border: New State Dept. Report Cites “Vulnerability” of Border to Terrorist Infiltration from Latin America
DACA Student under Anti-ICE Terrorism Investigation Chooses Mexico Deportation over Further Disclosure
U.S. congressman wrote a letter on his behalf Rather than face court proceedings that would further disclose why an FBI counterterrorism investigation has targeted him, San Antonio DACA recipient Sergio "Mapache" Salazar chose to take deportation to Mexico instead. The Mexico-born Salazar was brought to the United States when he was two and has lived in San Antonio ever since, and received … [Read more...] about DACA Student under Anti-ICE Terrorism Investigation Chooses Mexico Deportation over Further Disclosure
New Terrorism Case-In-Point: Why Somalia Is on the Travel Ban List and Must Stay There
How can U.S. officials vet refugees claiming to be from a country with no government records to check? As when they cross a U.S. land border unknown and with no ID, Somalis who formally apply for refugee resettlement — at, say, a U.S. embassy or refugee camp abroad — present a security challenge to officials trying to separate the malevolent from the benign. Discerning the difference for … [Read more...] about New Terrorism Case-In-Point: Why Somalia Is on the Travel Ban List and Must Stay There