• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • About Todd
  • OVERRUN book website
  • America’s Covert Border War book
  • Awards
  • Book Todd to Speak

Todd Bensman

From Journalism to Counterterrorism Intelligence - and Back.

  • Securing Borders
  • Terrorism & Homeland
  • Todd In the News
  • Congressional Testimony
  • My War In Bosnia Essay

Washington Examiner on Bensman visit with U.S. Army: ‘Troops land at border, lay razor wire, ready tent cities, anger narco gangs’

November 19, 2018 by Todd Bensman

“The show of force is having the beneficial side effect of curbing illegal drug trafficking by the notorious Gulf Cartel, according to the report from the Center for Immigration Studies’ Todd Bensman.

“He reported today: ‘Intelligence friends told me the Mexican cartel across the river, CDG, was angered by the U.S. troop deployment because it slowed the pace of drug smuggling and that they blamed the caravan for this. The cartel, I was told, has threatened the migrants to pay steep fees to cross through their territory or go elsewhere, hence the initial moves to Tijuana. No telling whether this is true. I just heard it from sources with access to such information.'” 

His report indicated that the initial landing of the Army is a big one. Pictures showed large groups of troops laying razor war and working to secure the border.

From his report: 

  • New troops and equipment were still rolling into at least two main camps in South Texas the week before Thanksgiving, one at the sleepy Donna Port of Entry and the other at the busier Hidalgo Port of Entry. Tents were going up. Heavy construction equipment and large trucks had been brought in and parked, along with Humvees. Helicopters reconnoitered above the camps or flew past them.
  • Although unconfirmed, in the town of Weslaco about 15 miles inland from the river, acres of land cleared, leveled and newly fenced, at least to my mind, bore all the hallmarks of one of the “tent cities” of the sort DHS said would be used for extended detentions of caravanners seeking asylum. The compound was at least 25 acres. It was very freshly cleared and surrounded by fencing with “Warning: military installation” signs posted at intervals while a large abandoned former furniture store nearby was taken over by the army. No tents had been set up here but long rows of port-o-potties could be seen and large stationary CBP outdoor lighting banks had been set up throughout the largely empty interior. The space would be good to store heavy construction equipment and vehicles too.
  • Troops began deploying from the Donna and Hidalgo camps further upriver to the Laredo, Texas area for various operations that CBP officials determined would be helpful.
  • Most of the troops were not carrying arms, however plenty of Military Policemen carried side arms.

More here…

Filed Under: Bensman in the News

Subscribe to Mailing List

Subscribing to my list will entitle subscribers to be alerted to blog posts, articles and writings as they are published, as well as any special announcements.

Primary Sidebar

Subscribe to Bensman’s Newsletter

Sign Up

Bensman’s Books

Cover of America's Covert Boarder War book Cover of Overrun Book

Follow Me Online

Find Bensman on LinkedIn Find Bensman on Twitter Find Bensman on Gettr Find Bensman on Truth Social

Related Posts

On Center for Security Policy Webinar Panel: Why the Country Needs a Terrorism Offenders Registry May 20, 2020
Costa Rica-Nicaragua Reporting on KXYL Radio Amarillo
Bensman on Dr Gina Show Talking ICE Released a Migrant Terrorist Border-Jumper and Much More
Bensman on Fox & Friends Kamala Harris’s Extreme Illegal Immigration Stands
TUNE IN: C-Span 2’s Book TV: America’s Covert Border War
On The Sutliffian Report Video Podcast Discussing America’s Covert Border War book
On KPRC Houston/Galveston
One on One with America First’s Sebastian Gorka: Biden, the Cartels and the Terrorists Entering America
On the John Fredericks Show Discussing Biden Pick for CBP Commissioner, Chris Magnus
On Charlie Kirk Show Discussing Transformation at the Border After One Month of Trump 2.0

© 2025 · Todd Bensman · Site By WP Attendant