TIJUANA, Mexico (December 5, 2022) – Located two blocks from the border wall, Mexico’s first Muslim immigrant shelter caters to people from the Islamic world seeking to cross into the United States, legally or illegally. Sponsored by the San Diego Latina Foundation, the mosque/shelter welcomes migrants from countries where many of the world’s top terrorist groups operate, meaning the migrants “special interest aliens” in government jargon, which should trigger counterterrorism interest. In a new video, the Center’s senior national security fellow, Todd Bensman, visits the shelter and interviews staff and migrants to explore the national security and terrorism implications.

“The shelter's own management appears to be more interested in counterterrorism than either the American or Mexican governments,” said Bensman. “The governments’ disinterest is puzzling, especially considering that we have record numbers of special interest aliens on the FBI’s terror watch list being caught at the border.”