Jihadists at the Gate: U.S. Open Border Policy and the Security Crisis

At a time when the American southern border has collapsed under the weight of an historic mass migration event, the threat of immigrants hailing from the Middle East is rarely considered. In this interview (video) with Irina Tsukerman, Todd Bensman explores how this demographic elevates the terrorism threat. They also discuss a recent FBI/DOJ terrorism prosecution of a plot to bring terrorist operatives over the faltering U.S. southern border.

Todd Bensman is a fellow at the Middle East Forum and a senior national security fellow for the Center for Immigration Studies. He previously led counterterrorism-related intelligence efforts for the Texas Intelligence and Counterterrorism Division. Irina Tsukerman is a human rights lawyer, geopolitical analyst, President of Scarab Rising, Inc., & Editor in Chief of The Washington Outsider.

Todd Bensman is an editorialist, media commentator, and investigative author who served as Senior Adviser to the National Counterterrorism Center, Border Czar Tom Homan, and the ICE Officer of Director (2025-2026). He currently serves as Senior Research Fellow for The Heritage Foundation’s Border Security and Immigration Center. From 2009-2018, he worked as a manager and analyst in the Texas Department of Public Safety’ Intelligence and Counterterrorism Center managing a counterterrorism unit. As a Senior Fellow for tue Center for Immigration Studies (2018-2025), he authored the 2023 book OVERRUN, How Joe Biden Unleashed the Greatest Border Crisis in U.S. History (Posthill Press/Bombardier Books) and also America’s Covert Border War: The Untold Story of the Nation’s Battle to Prevent Jihadist Infiltration (Posthill Press/Bombardier Books, February 2021). He is a former newspaper reporter of 23 years and two-time National Press Club award winner for foreign reporting. He has worked in 40 countries. He has testified before Congress as an expert witness and regularly appears on radio and television outlets to discuss national security, illegal immigration and border security matters.
Irina Tsukerman
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