Todd Bensman

From Journalism to Counterterrorism Intelligence - and Back.

Terrorism and Homeland Security

Book Review by Andrew Harrod

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As published February 14, 2021 in The Blitz website Contrary to America’s Leftists, “that jihadists would infiltrate land borders among bedraggled war refugees” is not an “outrageous fantasy of fringe racists, nativist immigration restrictionists, and conspiracy lunatics.” So writes Center for Immigration Studies National Security Fellow Todd Bensman in his revealing … [Read more...] about Book Review by Andrew Harrod

About those 11 Iranian Migrants Captured at the Mexico-Arizona Border – What Homeland Security Does With Them

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By Todd Bensman as published February 15, 2021 by Townhall Media Many Americans might have felt surprised by recent news that U.S. Border Patrol in Arizona caught 11 Iranian migrants who crossed the southern border from Mexico. But this crossing is not surprising in one insular quarter: an international cadre of intelligence and law enforcement officers who work on this chronically … [Read more...] about About those 11 Iranian Migrants Captured at the Mexico-Arizona Border – What Homeland Security Does With Them

In The Daily Wire: A Border Threat So Taboo That Few Dare Speak Of It

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By Todd Bensman as originally published February 1, 2021 by The Daily Wire In the final days of his presidency and his last visit to the U.S. southern border, Donald Trump stood next to his contentious wall in Alamo, Texas on January 12, 2021 and uttered a striking claim that went entirely unreported by any traditional news media outlet. “We have terrorists from the Middle East coming … [Read more...] about In The Daily Wire: A Border Threat So Taboo That Few Dare Speak Of It

Trump’s Travel Ban Fixed a Real-World Security Problem

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Its demise promises a return to peril By Todd Bensman as published January 21, 2021 by the Center for Immigration Studies A few years before President Donald Trump instituted his so-called "travel ban" on now-13 countries, the 21-year-old Sudanese citizen Mahmoud Amin Mohamed Elhassan entered the United States with his siblings and mother on temporary Legal Permanent Resident visas. At the … [Read more...] about Trump’s Travel Ban Fixed a Real-World Security Problem

President of the United States: “Terrorists Coming Through Our Country Through the Southern Border” So Is it True?

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By Todd Bensman as published by the Center for Immigration Studies In a January 12, 2021 speech at the border wall in Alamo, Texas, President Donald Trump stated that terrorist travelers in numbers “far greater than anybody would understand” have reached the U.S. southern border. Here is the totality of the president’s statement that day at the wall, from Minute 18:24 to … [Read more...] about President of the United States: “Terrorists Coming Through Our Country Through the Southern Border” So Is it True?

Guatemala’s Terrorist Designation of Hizballah Explained

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The seemingly incongruous designations are more connected with a broader U.S. strategic initiative to pressure Hizballah’s South America revenue lifelines as the group and its primary sponsor, Iran, reel under harsh U.S. economic sanctions. Hizballah reportedly was facing financial pain because of American sanctions. by Todd Bensman as published December 4, 2020 by the Investigative Project on … [Read more...] about Guatemala’s Terrorist Designation of Hizballah Explained

Washington Post Story “Undoing Trump’s ‘Muslim Ban’” Perpetuated an Erroneous Narrative

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By Todd Bensman, as published December 4, 2020 by Townhall.com A December 2 Washington Post story about President-elect Joe Biden’s pledge to immediately do away with the travel restrictions on 13 countries — the inaccurately named but popularly known “Muslim Travel Ban” — perpetuated an unsupported Democratic partisan assertion that should not go unchallenged. The … [Read more...] about Washington Post Story “Undoing Trump’s ‘Muslim Ban’” Perpetuated an Erroneous Narrative

Investigative Project on Terrorism: Ending Trump Travel Ban Portends Return to Immigration Security Challenges

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Trump’s travel ban eliminated the problem of vetting the histories, backgrounds, hearts and minds of immigrant visa applicants from ungoverned nations like Yemen, Chad, Sudan, Eritrea and Somalia, where record-keeping systems that can track terrorists are severely dysfunctional, or don’t exist. If Biden repeals it, how would the United States filter out dangerous applicants from pre-modern … [Read more...] about Investigative Project on Terrorism: Ending Trump Travel Ban Portends Return to Immigration Security Challenges

FBI Renews Activity on Forgotten ’94 Panama Plane Bombing

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In a move that drew almost no media notice, the FBI's Miami field office suddenly put up a new "Seeking Information" bulletin naming Ali Hage Zaki Jalil, a 52-year-old Arab parachutist and apparent arms trafficker, reportedly of Lebanese nationality. "Despite the passage of time, investigators believe that Ali Hage Zaki Jalil may have information related to this investigation." See … [Read more...] about FBI Renews Activity on Forgotten ’94 Panama Plane Bombing