CIS analyst Todd Bensman traveled the southern Mexican state of Chiapas, which borders on Guatemala, to assess the state of a December 2023 Biden-Harris administration diplomatic bargain for Mexico to "internally deport" aspiring U.S. border-crossers to its southern states. This secretive move, combined with mass "lawful" admissions via parole, dramatically reduced illegal crossings that were politically damaging the Democrat party’s re-election prospects for the November 5 elections.
As a result of the Christmas deal, Mexico launched an aggressive military campaign to round up migrants from its northern states bordering on the U.S. and bus or fly them to the southern Mexican border states of Chiapas and Tabasco. No American reporter or writer has yet gone to these regions to examine what is happening in them.
Bensman traveled to the key city of Tapachula, Chiapas, to provide an inside look at the trapped aspiring border-crossers. He provides analyses of what is likely to happen there after the November 5 U.S. elections.
For background and context, see:
Recent Sky-High Levels of Illegal Migration Are Dropping Fast — and Here’s Why
Video
Reporting
My dispatch from Tapachula, Mexico now up @DailyMail "There's a more complicated reason that the caravans have started back up: The Mexican government is encouraging and escorting them." Here's why:https://t.co/xo2UbxCTNp
— Todd Bensman (@BensmanTodd) October 23, 2024
Published October 19 - Tapachula
Leaving Tapachula; stay tuned for my reports. pic.twitter.com/tlHYbbv8EO
— Todd Bensman (@BensmanTodd) October 19, 2024
A new MASS ILLEGAL MIGRATION MALL going up fast in Tapachula, Mexico that’ll house UN agencies and nonprofit migration-help groups under one convenient one-stop shop roof. This multipurpose building shows all are bullish on a prosperous future for industrialized mass migration pic.twitter.com/oUaTUcKEFO
— Todd Bensman (@BensmanTodd) October 19, 2024
Published October 18 - Tapachula
Vietnamese now on the march to the US border, seen all over the Biden-blockaded Tapachula in southern Mexico. All are very well equipped, financed, and prepared. Those with money buy their way out of the Mexico blockade w/cartel smugglers. Thinking Vietnamese are in that strata. pic.twitter.com/PpcyYkcLf4
— Todd Bensman (@BensmanTodd) October 18, 2024
A Russian war draft dodger working his unique side hustle while trapped in Tapachula by the Biden MEXICO blockade here. Tens of thousands of Russian draft dodgers got in before the Biden blockade pic.twitter.com/2bJnXpEkmF
— Todd Bensman (@BensmanTodd) October 18, 2024
Interview with English-speaking IRANIAN in deep southern Mexico. Swears he’s no terrorist. Traveled 11 countries, $5,000 so far...at least 100 Iranians here in Tapachula en route to US border pic.twitter.com/o8vgjcCnb2
— Todd Bensman (@BensmanTodd) October 18, 2024
On the Migrant Trail in Southern Mexico@BensmanTodd, the Center’s Senior National Security Fellow, is on the ground tracking U.S. -bound migrants in southern Mexico at the Guatemalan border. His footage shows rafts carrying human and commercial cargo from Guatemala to Mexico… pic.twitter.com/NNrLjTuo9u
— Center for Immigration Studies (@CIS_org) October 18, 2024
Published October 17 - Tapachula
“EL DIABLO” - a descriptor for Trump among US-bound aspiring border jumpers here in Chiapas State,
Mexico who explained to me that they feel urgency to GET ACROSS before El Diablo wins the November 4 election pic.twitter.com/iTaDtp2SDR— Todd Bensman (@BensmanTodd) October 17, 2024
On the Rio Suciate boat passage from Guatemala to Mexico - site of hundreds of thousands of US-bound migrant crossings. These days they’re gummed up in the Biden Entrapment Zone of Chiapas State but hope to be set free to move onto the US border after the US elections pic.twitter.com/DBoXyXcJmV
— Todd Bensman (@BensmanTodd) October 17, 2024
"They just keep pile driving in. They fear Donald Trump is going to win because he's going to close the gate and shut the border. There's a real sense of urgency among the immigrants."@BensmanTodd reports from Tapachula Mexico. pic.twitter.com/oUefY3hLHH
— Center for Immigration Studies (@CIS_org) October 17, 2024
Published October 16 - Tapachula
Here’s one of the Biden/Harris-engineered road checkpoints keeping 150,000 in the TAPACHULA MIGRANT ENTRAPMENT ZONE. Per the December US-Mex deal, federales police buses, taxis, and smuggling trucks and ship foreigners back, keeping US border looking ok for the Harris campaign. pic.twitter.com/tXZLSv6Bgy
— Todd Bensman (@BensmanTodd) October 17, 2024
The publisher of Noticias de Chiapas tells me 150,000 immigrants from all over the world are Sardine-canned into Tapachula right now, result of a Biden- engineered Mexican supression of mass migration optics for the Dem campaign. 150,000=35 percent of Tap’s population pic.twitter.com/eb0gcLF4gJ
— Todd Bensman (@BensmanTodd) October 16, 2024
My first encounter on the US migration trails with VIETNAMESE intending border jumpers. At least 10 more are staying in my Tapachula, Mexico hotel along with lots of Armenians and Filipinos. pic.twitter.com/QvobvDhJzi
— Todd Bensman (@BensmanTodd) October 16, 2024
CREATIVE MAFIA SMUGGLING RECEIPTS Colombia’s vicious Clan Del Golfo handed out these stickers to US-bound border jumpers for fee payment to cross the Gulf of Uraba. During my August trip there, I couldn’t get anyone to show me but uptrail in Tapachula Mexico they showed me. pic.twitter.com/FvJg6OKuR5
— Todd Bensman (@BensmanTodd) October 16, 2024
In Tapachula, where Biden-Harris arranged a hermetic migration blockade for election optics, aspiring border jumpers feel great urgency to cross before a Trump win Nov. 5 pic.twitter.com/sUwhBLiTtl
— Todd Bensman (@BensmanTodd) October 16, 2024
A migrant caravan is moving north through southern Mexico.
On the scene reporting from @BensmanTodd. pic.twitter.com/wgZAjSTpTu— Center for Immigration Studies (@CIS_org) October 16, 2024
Published October 15 - Tapachula
With a caravan today marching from Tapachula in defiance of the Biden-Harris pact with Mexico to keep them away from the US border during the election campaign. Is Mexico softening on its Biden-Harris deal? National Guard escorting.. And another is forming. Stay tuned. pic.twitter.com/Lq8MU1pWcs
— Todd Bensman (@BensmanTodd) October 15, 2024
Published October 14 - Tapachula
BIDEN’S MEXICAN MIGRANT BLOCKADE: what the 12/2023 diplomatic deal with Mexico looks like up close, heming up untold thousands in Tapachula for election campaign to keep them away from US media at our border. Until … Nov. 5? pic.twitter.com/qooRso3Jn7
— Todd Bensman (@BensmanTodd) October 15, 2024
Biden-Harris did THIS for election optics, in December got Mexico to haul thousands of immigrants here in Tapachula and sardine-can trap them to claim low US crossings and keep them off US media during the campaign. Been here five times and never seen so many as this. Stay tuned. pic.twitter.com/hAil9xHL84
— Todd Bensman (@BensmanTodd) October 14, 2024