{"id":1938920,"date":"2023-05-26T15:37:09","date_gmt":"2023-05-26T19:37:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/migrant-interviews-debunk-biden-dhs-false-talking-point-about-cartel-disinformation\/"},"modified":"2023-05-26T15:43:34","modified_gmt":"2023-05-26T19:43:34","slug":"migrant-interviews-debunk-biden-dhs-false-talking-point-about-cartel-disinformation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/migrant-interviews-debunk-biden-dhs-false-talking-point-about-cartel-disinformation\/","title":{"rendered":"Migrant interviews disprove Biden DHS&#8217; cartel &#8216;disinformation&#8217; claim."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fmigrant-interviews-debunk-biden-dhs-false-talking-point-about-cartel-disinformation%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1938920&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>The Truth About the Southern Border Crisis<\/h2>\n<div class=\"article-content\">\n<p>For years, the Biden administration has been blaming human smugglers for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/migrant-interviews-debunk-biden-dhs-false-talking-point-about-cartel-disinformation\/\" title=\"Migrant interviews disprove Biden DHS' cartel 'disinformation' claim.\">historic southern-border mass-migration crisis<\/a>. They claim that these smugglers spread disinformation that the border is &#8220;open.&#8221; But as someone who has interviewed thousands of U.S.-bound immigrants, I can confidently say that this narrative is a fabrication. It is pure political misdirection, deflecting blame away from Biden administration policies, which immigrants most commonly cite for why they come.<\/p>\n<p>Most immigrants do not spend fortunes on risky journeys based on disinformation from criminal strangers. They calculate travel decisions based on the experiences of immigrants who recently crossed, were admitted, and sent back selfies of themselves inside America. They also send testimonials and other hard evidence.<\/p>\n<h3>Immigrants Are Not Mindless Rubes<\/h3>\n<p>The Biden administration makes immigrants out to be mindless dupes who believe everything they hear from smugglers. But the truth is that most immigrants will not make a move until they have hard evidence. They will want to confirm with their cousins, friends, or long-time neighbors that the information conforms to the reality on the ground.<\/p>\n<p>During a major surge of mass illegal crossings from Juarez to El Paso last month, Mayorkas and senior CBP officials repeatedly vowed that the border was not open, and that cartel disinformation tricked the poor dupes into coming. But the immigrants I interviewed that same day were not mindless dupes. They told me they were going because friends and family had just crossed and were residing in Washington State or were authorized on the Texas side to take buses to New York.<\/p>\n<h3>The Reality of the Crisis<\/h3>\n<p>At the McAllen, Texas bus station, I met countless immigrants who had crossed illegally and were not sent back under Title 42 as sworn. Instead, they were released on their own recognizance to settle in interior America. They sent selfies of themselves \u2014 thumbs-up on the bus or in plush Manhattan hotel rooms \u2014 to everyone they know who had not yet crossed, advising them they could safely enter the United States.<\/p>\n<p>The Biden administration can displace the actual blame by repeatedly blaming loathsome criminal con artists for enticing millions of ostensibly stupid migrants to invest thousands journeying over the American border. But the truth is that their policies, which have allowed millions to enter and stay, remain a major tractor-beam enticement to everyone who can see the open border on their cell phone.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2>Immigrants Are More Discerning About Disinformation Than Most Americans<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters body-xs m-0 text-start\">\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-4\">Immigrants just released by Border Patrol in Del Rio corresponding with friends and loved ones up and down trail that they are about to board buses to U.S. cities. <\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-8\">\n<div class=\"article-thumbnail-caption d-flex align-items-center justify-content-md-end label-xs mt-15\">\n          <i class=\"mdi mdi-camera me-10\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><br \/>\n          <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Image Credit<\/span>Photo by Todd Bensman\n        <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The transfer of blame is a politically motivated lie. But na\u00efve and ignorant American audiences and <a href=\"http:\/\/corporate%20media%20outlets\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/border-patrol-arrests-two-illegal-immigrants-from-yemen-on-fbi-terror-watch-list\/\" title=\"Border Patrol Arrests Two Illegal Immigrants From Yemen On FBI Terror Watch List\">corporate media outlets<\/a><\/a> are uncritically accepting this hogwash.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Who is <em>not<\/em> na\u00efve or uncritical of claims? Certainly not <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BensmanTodd\/status\/1656022910748827672?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">these Venezuelan gentlemen<\/a> who I interviewed in Matamoros this month or hundreds of other immigrants I have met in recent years. These three young men were smart, savvy, and fully connected to the internet and social media platforms. All planned to swim the Rio Grande to Brownsville along with thousands of others. They were all moving because they knew someone who had recently gotten into the United States.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDo you all know someone who was just let in?\u201d I asked.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSi, si, si,\u201d they all answered in unison, naming friends all admitted into America or, in one man\u2019s case, a cousin who had crossed and was happily staying in a Tennessee hotel. He showed me the paper with the man\u2019s new address written on it. \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>I have never met someone intending to cross the border who did not have a cell phone with internet access. In analyzing incoming information, I would argue that immigrants are more discriminating about disinformation than most Americans. They rely on primary-source evidence.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>If testimonials do not expose the disinformation narrative as a lie, then basic logic might help. Cartel operatives and smugglers are untrustworthy liars to be sure, but they are also good businessmen first.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>No one knows better than smugglers the power of immigrant selfies from the states. Telling a lie that the border is easily breached when it is not might work once or twice on the first fools \u2014 But not millions of times.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Lying would kill business instantly, while happy immigrants who paid their smuggling fees and send back videos of their children enrolling in Chicago Public Schools keeps the cash register ringing for months and years.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The half of America willing to fall for the Biden administration\u2019s blame-displacement tactic could learn a thing or two from immigrants and their smugglers.\u00a0<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">\n<div class=\"article-author-description fst-italic\">\n<h3>About the Author: Todd Bensman<\/h3>\n<p>  Todd Bensman is a Texas-based senior national security fellow for the Center for Immigration Studies, a Washington D.C.-based research institute, and a writing fellow for the Middle East Forum. His latest book is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.toddbensman.com\/overrun-book\/\">&#8220;Overrun: How Joe Biden Unleashed the Greatest Border Crisis in U.S. History&#8221;<\/a> (Bombardier Books). For nearly a decade, Bensman led counterterrorism-related intelligence efforts for the Texas Department of Public Safety&#8217;s Intelligence and Counterterrorism Division. Follow him on Twitter @BensmanTodd.\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-tags bdr-top-black mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-15 pt-md-45\">\n<h3>Tags:<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"list-unstyled d-flex flex-wrap align-items-center mb-0 mx-n10 p-0\">\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/alejandro-mayorkas\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Alejandro Mayorkas<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/brownsville\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Brownsville<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/central-america\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Central America<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/department-of-homeland-security\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Department of Homeland Security<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/digital-marketing-campaign\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">digital marketing campaign<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/disinformation\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">disinformation<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/el-paso\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">El Paso<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/human-smugglers\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">human smugglers<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/immigration-crisis\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Immigration Crisis<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/9-shot-during-a-wake-in-central-mexico\/\" title=\"9 shot during a wake in central Mexico\">juarez<\/a>\/&#8221; class=&#8221;btn btn-black btn-small&#8221;>Juarez<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/asylum-seekers-stream-into-us-after-biden-revokes-remain-in-mexico-policy\/\" title=\"Asylum Seekers \u2018Stream\u2019 Into US After Biden Revokes \u2018Remain In Mexico\u2019 Policy\">matamoros<\/a>\/&#8221; class=&#8221;btn btn-black btn-small&#8221;>Matamoros<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/president-joe-biden\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">President Joe Biden<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/south-america\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">South America<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/southern-border\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Southern Border<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/white-house\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">White House<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Biden administration has blamed human smugglers for the ongoing southern-border mass-migration crisis. Officials claim that these smugglers spread &#8220;disinformation&#8221; that the border is &#8220;open.&#8221; The Department of Homeland Security predicts that encounters at the Southwest Border will continue to rise.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":635,"featured_media":1938921,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[15750,9899,3620,7112,4893,7492,11786,5491],"class_list":["post-1938920","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist","tag-disprove","tag-disinformation","tag-biden","tag-cartel","tag-claim","tag-dhs","tag-interviews","tag-migrant"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1938920","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/635"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1938920"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1938920\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1938921"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1938920"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1938920"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1938920"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}