Thread: U.S. Confirms ISIL Planning Infiltration of U.S. Southern Border

Were all those Guatemalans and El Salvadorians a distraction coordinated by ISIS and the Mexican drug cartels?


U.S. Confirms ISIL Planning Infiltration of U.S. Southern Border

Sen. McCain voices concerns border is not secure

Militants from the al Qaeda-inspired Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) removing part of the soil barrier on the Iraq-Syria borders and moving through it / AP

BY: Adam Kredo

September 10, 2014 2:25 pm

A senior Homeland Security (DHS) official confirmed to Congress on Wednesday that militants associated with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL or ISIS) are planning to enter the United States via the porous southern border.

Francis Taylor, under secretary for intelligence and analysis at DHS, told senators during a hearing that ISIL supporters are known to be plotting ways to infiltrate the United States through the border.

“There have been Twitter, social media exchanges among ISIL adherents across the globe speaking about that as a possibility,” Taylor told Sen. John McCain (R., Ariz.) in response to a question about “recent reports on Twitter and Facebook of messages that would urge infiltration into the U.S. across our southwestern border.”

“Certainly any infiltration across our border would be a threat,” Taylor said, explaining that border security agents are working to tighten measures that would prevent this from taking place.

“I’m satisfied we have the intelligence and the capability on our border that would prevent that activity,” Taylor said.
However, McCain was dubious, referring to recent videos released by activist James O’Keefe showing him crossing the border while wearing an Osama bin Laden mask.

Asked by McCain why agents did not stop O’Keefe, Taylor could not provide an answer.

“You can’t answer it because they weren’t there to stop him,” McCain responded.

“The fact is there are thousands of people who are coming across our border who are undetected and not identified, and for you to sit there and tell me that we have the capability or now have the proper protections of our southwest border, particularly in light of the urgings over Facebook and Twitter [by ISIL] for people to come across our southwestern border, is a great concern to the citizens of my state.”

Taylor admitted that more must be done to shore up border security in light of ongoing threats.

“The security at the southwestern border is of great concern to the department and I certainly understand the concerns of the citizens of your state,” he told McCain. “If I gave you the impression I thought the border security was what it needed to be to protect against all the risks coming across the state that’s not what I meant to say.”

There is little evidence to prove that ISIL militants or other terror actors would be stopped if they attempt to cross the border, McCain said.

“I don’t think there’s any doubt, I don’t see when you look at ISIS and the growth and influence of ISIS that it would be logical [to claim they would be stopped], as they’re saying on Facebook and Twitter, to come across our southwest border because they can get across,” he said.

Other U.S. officials have warned ahead of President Obama’s speech this evening that ISIL is growing in strength and seeking the capability to attack America directly.

“We remain mindful of the possibility that an ISIL-sympathizer—perhaps motivated by online propaganda—could conduct a limited, self-directed attack here at home with no warning,” Matthew Olsen, director of the U.S. National Counterterrorism Center, said in a recent speech.

“We have seen ISIL use a range of media to tout its military capabilities, executions of captured soldiers, and consecutive battlefield victories,” Olsen said. “More recently, the group’s supporters have sustained this momentum on social media by encouraging attacks in the U.S. and against U.S. interests in retaliation for our airstrikes. ISIL has used this propaganda campaign to draw foreign fighters to the group, including many from Western countries.”
http://freebeacon.com/national-security/u-s-confirms-isil-planning-infiltration-of-u-s-southern-border/

I'm having a hard time buying this. Last week it was no info to substantiate, wasn't it? This has the similar odor that WMD's in burned out trucks in the Iraqi desert emitted. But, it will sure take the public's mind off alien invasions!

UTEP professor: ISIS terrorist attack on US/Mexico border ...

KFOX El Paso ‎- 1 day ago

UTEP professor: ISIS terrorist attack on US/Mexico border possible but ... if ISIS is in Juarez, their members aren't likely coming over in droves.

By: Joshua Zuber
EL PASO, Texas -- The Islamic terrorist group ISIS has become infamous in the past few months by grabbing headlines which make it clear it doesn't like people who are from the Western Hemisphere.

The fear of an attack in America has grown and one watchdog group, Judicial Watch, says the attack could happen even as close to home as El Paso's section of the U.S./Mexico border.

But one University of Texas at El Paso professor says that likelihood of ISIS actually carrying out an attack in America isn't strong.

“It's a low-probability event," Gaspare Genna said.

The political science professor says the group is too busy trying to create a staging area in the Middle East, which could then pose more of a threat to America.

"It has yet to be demonstrated that ISIS has the same capabilities under the post 9-11 reality that we live in," Genna said.

He also says even if ISIS is in Juarez, their members aren't likely coming over in droves.

"The coyotes, etc. right? The drug cartels, drug smuggling, etc. It's not in their business model if ISIS is involved because it's bad for their business," Genna said. "I really don't think ISIS has enough money to buy out these individuals. At least not if ISIS told them who they were, etc.," he added.

As for whether ISIS could be as effective at terrorism like Al Qaeda and the Sept. 11 attacks, Genna says they've got more security to get through.

"Remember, Al Qaeda got away with what it did during 9-11 because the security apparatus did not exist," he said.

http://www.kfoxtv.com/news/features/...l#.VBC_mxaK3A4

Military Experts: With ISIS in El Paso, Ft. Bliss in Danger of ...

www.judicialwatch.org/.../military-experts-isis-el-paso-ft-b...Judicial Watch


6 days ago - The recent increase in security at a key Army base near a Mexican border ... is a target, according to senior military experts contacted by Judicial Watch. ... in the Mexican border city of Ciudad Juarez and planning to attack the ...

http://www.judicialwatch.org/blog/20...rorist-attack/

Thanks Happy for posting add'l info. I've seen some of it. One of the questions that nags at me is "If they are already in Mexico, why the hell are we going to Iraq?" Would it not make more sense to go to Mexico and root them out. By increasing our presence even more in Iraq aren't we just lighting the fuse for the hit from Mexico? Could'nt the Mexico "threat" be hype similar to the previous war's WMD justification? Before we spend another trillion in Iraq lets look for THE TRUTH in Mexico!

Not arguing, debating yeah! Military retirees have projected once we get in there again, another ten year or longer tenure we are in there. Can we afford another trillion plus, not with open borders inviting others poor, too. Republicans in Congress seem eager for this, but do not seem to be willing to vote son it?

Still many questions, inadequate facts!

What the government actually said is:

http://www.alipac.us/f9/isis-terrori...border-310721/

and

http://www.alipac.us/f9/lebanese-nat...border-310722/

Wednesday, 10 Sep 2014 05:43 PM
Bloomberg News

Islamic State extremists have discussed infiltrating the U.S. through its southern border with Mexico, a U.S. official said.

Francis Taylor, under secretary for intelligence and analysis at the Department of Homeland Security, told a Senate committee today that the Sunni militants have been tracked discussing the idea on social-media sites such as Twitter Inc.

“There have been Twitter and social-media exchanges among ISIL adherents across the globe speaking about that as a possibility,” Taylor said in response to a question from Senator John McCain, an Arizona Republican. Islamic State is also known by the acronyms ISIL and ISIS.

Referring to the 1,933-mile (3,110-kilometer) boundary with Mexico, Taylor said he was “satisfied that we have the intelligence and the capability at our border that would prevent that activity.”

Taylor’s comments before the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee came hours before President Barack Obama was to outline in a speech plans to expand the U.S. offensive against Islamic State. Steps under consideration include blocking foreign fighters from entering Syria and Iraq, delivering more aid to moderate factions among Syrian rebels, and expanding air strikes to Islamic State targets in Syria.

Mexican Cartels

Taylor said the security of the U.S.’s southwest border remains a high concern for his department, and that Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson has ordered “a comprehensive southern border security strategy that will include national security risks.”

U.S. intelligence officials said they are skeptical that Mexican drug cartels would let jihadists use their turf or delivery routes to attack the U.S. The cartels know that terrorist attackers coming through areas they control would almost certainly bring massive retaliation and a militarized border that would threaten their lucrative narcotics-smuggling operations, said two officials, who requested anonymity to discuss classified intelligence assessments.

Officials testifying before the committee said that Islamic State currently poses the greatest threat to U.S. interests in Iraq and within the region. At the moment, the group’s ability to develop significant, large-scale attacks diminishes with distance from Syria and Iraq, said Nicholas Rasmussen, deputy director of the National Counterterrorism Center.

Not Immediate

“We do not assess right now they have the capability to mount an effective large-scale attack on the United States,” Rasmussen said.

Islamic State’s sweep across Iraq and a campaign of terror that has included the beheading of two U.S. journalists have galvanized fears among Americans of a rising terrorist threat and stirred demands from lawmakers that Obama articulate a plan for dealing with the issue.

Sixty-five percent of Americans back bombing strikes against the extremists in Syria, more than double the level of support from a year ago, according to an ABC News/Washington Post poll released yesterday.

Islamic State members have surfaced in Europe -- specifically in a shooting that killed four people at a Jewish museum in Brussels and through arrests in Paris -- “a clear indication of ISIL’s ambition to operate outside the Middle East,” Rasmussen said. If the group is left to grow, that threat will only increase, he said.

‘Apostate’ Governments

“Left unchecked, ISIL poses a threat to all governments it considers apostate,” Rasmussen said, adding that the group’s targets would include governments in Europe, the U.S., Africa and the Middle East.

Lawmakers concentrated on the threat posed by foreign fighters who join Islamic State, either Americans or Europeans who wouldn’t need a visa to enter the United States.

Johnson, speaking in New York today, said that about 12,000 foreigners are estimated to have traveled to Syria to fight over the past three years. The FBI has arrested some people who have tried to travel from the U.S. to Syria to join the fight.

In response to threats from overseas, Johnson said the U.S. has increased aviation security in 25 airports abroad since early July, adding screening of both passengers and carry-on luggage.

Rasmussen estimated that “over 100 persons from a wide variety of backgrounds have attempted to travel to the region” from the U.S. to fight alongside extremist groups active in Iraq and Syria.

‘Looking to Join’

Many go “simply looking to join the fight” and engage with extremist elements, not necessarily searching to join Islamic State in particular, Rasmussen said. “Where they end up actually affiliating plays out over time,” he said.

Rasmussen said the estimate of 100 people included individuals who show intent to travel but haven’t left the U.S. as well as those who remain there, those who have been killed and those who have returned.

One wild card will be U.S. citizens who may be radicalized through the Internet and decide to take up arms here, Rasmussen said.

“We can’t account for homegrown terrorists,” Rasmussen said, “people who might self-affiliate.”

This “lone-wolf” phenomenon “is the hardest terrorist threat to detect, and the one I worry about the most,” he said, citing the Boston Marathon bombers.

‘Aggressive’ Sharing

If there is any good news, Rasmussen said, it is the “aggressive information-sharing with all of our partners who have the same problem.” This has given the U.S. and Europe “a significant leg up” in attempts “to disrupt travel when these individuals attempt to leave Iraq,” he said.

Gathering data on Islamic State and other extremists groups has become more difficult since disclosures by former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden, Rasmussen said, as intelligence agencies have seen terrorists change their methods and means of communication to avoid detection.

Those changes “frustrate our counterterrorism efforts,” he said. “We cannot connect the dots if we cannot collect the dots.”

http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/AME.../10/id/593898/

September 12, 2014
Judicial Watch

After nearly two weeks of furiously denying that Islamic terrorists are operating in the Mexican border city of Ciudad Juarez and planning to attack the United States, a senior Homeland Security official has confirmed it to Congress.

Judicial Watch broke the story on August 29 that terrorist groups in Juarez, a crime-infested narcotics hotbed situated across from El Paso, Texas, are planning to attack the United States with car bombs or other vehicle borne improvised explosive devices (VBIED). High-level federal law enforcement, intelligence and other sources confirmed to JW that a warning bulletin for an imminent terrorist attack on the border has been issued. Agents across a number of Homeland Security, Justice and Defense agencies have all been placed on alert and instructed to aggressively work all possible leads and sources concerning this imminent terrorist threat.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) did not respond to multiple inquiries from Judicial Watch—both telephonic and in writing—about this information but the agency has vigorously denied it in the media. This week, however, a top Homeland Security official essentially conceded that JW’s story is in fact credible. The official, Francis Taylor, is DHS Undersecretary for Intelligence and Analysis and this week he testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Though his prepared statement, available on the committee website, is watered down the admission came during a verbal exchange with an Arizona senator.

Taylor confirmed that militants associated with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL or ISIS) are planning to enter the United States via the porous southern border and that their supporters are known to be plotting to infiltrate the United States, according to a Washington news outlet that covered the hearing. “There have been Twitter, social media exchanges among ISIL adherents across the globe speaking about that as a possibility,” Taylor told Arizona Senator John McCain during the hearing. The DHS undersecretary also admitted this when McCain challenged him on border security overall: “If I gave you the impression I thought the border security was what it needed to be to protect against all the risks coming across the state that’s not what I meant to say.”

Days earlier the top law enforcement official in Midland County Texas told a national television news audience that he received an alert bulletin warning that ISIS may have formed a terrorist cell in or near Juarez. Just as JW’s sources had confirmed a week earlier, Midland County Sheriff Gary Painter disclosed that the alert warned law enforcement agencies to be on the lookout for such activity. The local newspaper in Midland, which is located halfway between Ft. Worth and El Paso, contacted the FBI for a statement on the alarming revelation but the agency refused to comment.

Following these two important developments from the DHS and the Texas sheriff, New York Police Department officials also affirmed this week that the threat to the U.S. is “growing exponentially” with the emergence of ISIS. NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton said on national television that ISIS is a very sophisticated operation with very sophisticated recruiting capabilities that include the use of social media, videos and magazines. In fact, the NYPD chief disclosed that ISIS is more sophisticated than Al Qaeda.

Incredibly the administration continues denying that ISIS presents an imminent threat in the United States, even as information surfaces indicating otherwise. Also contradicting the government’s official stance is the increase in security at a key Army base, Ft. Bliss, near Juarez. The move has been attributed to vague “security assessments” and the constant concern for the safety of military members, families, employees and civilians. This week the General in charge of the compound actually said it was “coincidental” that security was increased following JW’s report of ISIS operating in Juarez.

However, senior military experts contacted by JW say the move indicates that the El Paso military facility is a target because changes to security measures are only made when there are clear and present threats. “It’s a significant issue when this is done,” retired Army Lt. Gen. Jerry Boykin told JW. Boykin is a former commander of the Army’s elite Delta Force who served four years as Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence. “That means they’re getting a threat stream. Ft. Bliss had to have a clear and present threat.”

http://www.judicialwatch.org/blog/20...t-reported-jw/

Originally Posted by Newmexican

Were all those Guatemalans and El Salvadorians a distraction coordinated by ISIS and the Mexican drug cartels?

There is really no need for ISIS or the cartels to create distractions. 'Bama has found ways to render the border irrelevant, all by himself. And since it's obvious that he has no intention of permitting our government agencies to enfore our boders or our laws, why waste time on creating distractions that people might not even notice?
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Originally Posted by Jean

Many go “simply looking to join the fight” and engage with extremist elements, not necessarily searching to join Islamic State in particular, Rasmussen said. “Where they end up actually affiliating plays out over time,” he said.

And the fact that the locals over there sometimes shift alliances and memberships also makes it difficult to gather intelligence and choose which group(s) to support.
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Americans first in this magnificent country

American jobs for American workers

Fair trade, not free trade