TIJUANA, Mexico (November 30, 2022) – A new Center for Immigration Studies report highlights the national security and terrorism risks of Mexico’s first immigrant shelter catering to U.S.-bound Muslim immigrants. Most of the 30 to 140 guests hosted every day at the mosque-shelter are “special interest aliens”, U.S.-bound immigrants from countries where Islamic terrorist groups operate, which should trigger
bilateral law enforcement screening and intelligence counterterrorism activities with Mexico to investigate them further. But Mexican and American intelligence and law enforcement seem to have little interest in the Albergue Assabil/Mesquijta Taybah shelter, located two blocks from the U.S. border.
Migrants arrive daily from all over the Islamic world, including Yemen, Syria, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Lebanon, Egypt, Morocco, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Somalia, and other countries in the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia. All are headed over the border, with the shelter and non-profit advocacy groups helping many exploit what CIS recently revealed is
a secretive new Biden administration “humanitarian parole” program that legalizes them in Mexico and then allows Mexican authorities to discretely hand them off to American authorities at the border for resettlement. But many others choose not to avail themselves of that program and find smugglers to cross them over illegally.
Concerned by the information deficit about a shelter welcoming such a large number of special interest aliens (SIAs) during a period of historically high apprehensions of migrants on the FBI terrorism watch list, Todd Bensman, the Center’s senior national security fellow, visited the shelter in November. He spoke with several shelter guests and conducted the first interview of its director about the sensitive national security issues the operation naturally raises for the United States.
Chief among the CIS findings is that, while American and officials are aware of the facility’s purpose, none have overtly sought to collect intelligence information, in any systematic way, about special interest aliens passing through with obvious, known plans to illegally cross the southern border. Nor, apparently, has either government sought systematic collaboration with the shelter’s manager, who told CIS she would gladly cooperate had either government ever asked. But neither had as of publication.
Bensman said, “The information deficit in regard to a shelter where so many SIAs congregate is concerning, particularly because screening challenges exist at this time due to the massive numbers crossing the border. Even more worrisome is that it is happening when there is increasing evidence that counterterrorism collaboration between Mexico and the United States is breaking down under the crushing weight of the highest numbers of U.S.-bound migrants ever recorded -- plus, perhaps, a lack of American interest.”
