Panel Video: America’s Covert Border War

A Professional Assessment of the Terrorist Infiltration Threat at the Border

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America’s Covert Border War: The Untold Story of the Nation’s Battle to Prevent Jihadist Infiltration

Event Summary

The Center for Immigration Studies hosted a panel on Tuesday, February 9 to discuss one of the most politicized, taboo, and chronically misunderstood threats to the U.S. Southwest Border: the national security risk posed by long-haul illegal border entry of migrants from nations of terrorism concern in the Middle East, South Asia, and North Africa.

Participants

Mark Krikorian, Executive Director, Center for Immigration Studies.

James Dinkins, former Executive Associate Director of ICE Homeland Security Investigations (oversaw Latin American efforts to dismantle the specialized long-haul smuggling networks).

Norman Townsend, former FBI Supervisory Special Agent in Texas (whose unit interviewed Middle East migrants caught on the southern border).

Edward Dolan, former DHS Regional Attaché to Central America and Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent, (Led DHS efforts to identify and interdict known or suspected terrorists and organizations responsible for moving them into and through Central America).

Todd Bensman, Senior National Security Fellow, Center for Immigration Studies, and former Senior Counterterrorism Program Specialist, Texas Department of Public Safety.


Full Panel

Mark Krikorian Introduction

 

Todd Bensman Statement

 

James Dinkins Statement

 

Norman Townsend Statement

 

James Dolan Statement

 

Question and Answer Session

 

Panel Clips

Finding the Middle Ground in the Covert Border War

 

Special Interest Alien or Special Interest Undocumented Noncitizen?

 

Recommendation for Fighting the Covert Border War

 

Corruption at Latin American Embassies in Special Interest Countries

 

How are Human Smuggling Organizations Different than other Criminal Organizations?

 

How Does HSI Choose What Smuggling Organizations to Investigate?

 

National Security and Border Security are Not Political

 

The Joint Terrorism Task Force Border Mission

 

Smuggling Organizations Used Central American Governments to Move Migrants