A conversation with cartels expert Jaeson Jones Summary The extensive criminal and political power of Mexican cartels is a topic largely ignored by the American media and thus unknown to most Americans. Strengthened and enriched by the Biden administration's border crisis, the cartels have evolved into global criminal enterprises impacting America through epidemic levels of drug … [Read more...] about Bensman Hosts Podcast: Enriched by US Immigration Policies, Cartels Go Global
Terrorism & Homeland Security
Middle East Forum Webinar: Threat at Border
by Marilyn SternMiddle East Forum WebinarFebruary 14, 2022 Todd Bensman, Writing Fellow at the Middle East Forum, Senior National Security Fellow at the Center for Immigration Studies, and author of America's Covert Border War, spoke to participants in a February 14 Middle East Forum Webinar (video) to discuss the cases of unvetted migrants from countries "associated with … [Read more...] about Middle East Forum Webinar: Threat at Border
Bensman Testifies before House Freedom Caucus: Border Crisis
Todd Bensman testified before a panel of Republican Congress Members about his reporting on United Nations involvement in the mass migration crisis at the southern border. Testimony of Todd BensmanSenior National Security Fellow, Center for Immigration Studies and Former Manager, Texas Department of Public Safety Intelligence and Counterterrorism Division (2009-2018) Before the House … [Read more...] about Bensman Testifies before House Freedom Caucus: Border Crisis
At the Border with Todd Bensman, an in-depth interview
Journalists have a different method for sharing the words. They tend to fact check, verify, and speak from a personal perspective. That is not to say their own frame of reference will not shape the outcome of the story—like all of us they are human. Today though I have the chance to share some time with Todd Bensman. His extensive qualifications include an M.A. in Security Studies from the Naval … [Read more...] about At the Border with Todd Bensman, an in-depth interview
The Live Drop Podcast: A Discussion of America’s Covert Border War Book
Episode notes Back in April 2021, Todd Bensman talked with me about the nexus between immigration and national security in his book America’s Covert Border War: the Untold Story of the Nation’s Battle to Prevent Jihadist Infiltration. Todd is an award-winning journalist who transitioned to a career as a national security intelligence professional for the Texas Department of Public … [Read more...] about The Live Drop Podcast: A Discussion of America’s Covert Border War Book
Homeland Security Today: State of Border Counterterrorism
By Todd Bensman, special to Homeland Security Today 9/11 Commemoration Series, September 15, 2021 On January 19, 2018, a citizen of Afghanistan and former interpreter for the U.S. military named Wasiq Ullah crossed the Texas border from Mexico. He had spent $16,000 to be smuggled through several countries – most likely to South America or Cuba and then overland north through … [Read more...] about Homeland Security Today: State of Border Counterterrorism
The Carefully Excised “WHY” of 9/11
American media won’t speak its name – “Islamist terrorism’ – but the historic 9/11 Commission Report does and always will “But the enemy is not just ‘terrorism,’ some generic evil. This vagueness blurs the strategy. The catastrophic threat at this moment in history is more specific. It is the threat posed by Islamist terrorism – especially the al Qaeda network, its affiliates, and its … [Read more...] about The Carefully Excised “WHY” of 9/11
The National Interest magazine: Joe Biden Just Condemned America to More Chinese Espionage — and Worse
By Todd Bensman as originally published July 19, 2021 by The National Interest For nearly two years now, the FBI has nabbed dozens of Chinese Communist Party spies who, while posing as graduate students and research scholars at top academic institutions, siphoned out America’s most cutting edge national defense material for untold years. The spies, many secretly members of China’s … [Read more...] about The National Interest magazine: Joe Biden Just Condemned America to More Chinese Espionage — and Worse
Minnesota Military Linguist Ensnared in Honeypot “Abandoned Her Country” for Hizballah
by Todd BensmanSpecial to IPT NewsApril 20, 2021 When Defense Department Arabic linguist Mariam Taha Thompson's love affair abruptly ended with her arrest last year, her own hurt feelings paled in comparison to other damage it wrought. The Rochester, Minn. widow's romance placed the lives of real American soldiers and intelligence informants in harm's way, disrupted U.S. military operations, … [Read more...] about Minnesota Military Linguist Ensnared in Honeypot “Abandoned Her Country” for Hizballah
CBP Removes Press Release About Migrants on the U.S. Terror Watch List Who Crossed the Southern Border
A broader public understanding of just how often terrorist suspects like these Yemenis cross has become especially pertinent as the government's border management systems teeter under historic, sharply escalating numbers of largely Spanish-speaking peoples making illegal entry. So what can be truthfully said of this contentious threat issue? By Todd Bensman, special to the Investigative Project … [Read more...] about CBP Removes Press Release About Migrants on the U.S. Terror Watch List Who Crossed the Southern Border