ISIS in Mexico Rumor Started by Discredited Conservative Blog

Judicial Watch, a Conservative blog, is issuing warnings that ISIS has a training camp in Mexico near the border with Texas. They say that terrorists stand ready to cross that border and attack milita...
ISIS in Mexico Rumor Started by Discredited Conservative Blog
Written by Mike Tuttle

Judicial Watch, a Conservative blog, is issuing warnings that ISIS has a training camp in Mexico near the border with Texas. They say that terrorists stand ready to cross that border and attack military installations in the United States.

In a piece titled “ISIS Camp a Few Miles from Texas, Mexican Authorities Confirm,”Judicial Watch claimed:

“ISIS is operating a camp just a few miles from El Paso, Texas, according to Judicial Watch sources that include a Mexican Army field grade officer and a Mexican Federal Police Inspector.

“During the course of a joint operation last week, Mexican Army and federal law enforcement officials discovered documents in Arabic and Urdu, as well as “plans” of Fort Bliss – the sprawling military installation that houses the US Army’s 1st Armored Division. Muslim prayer rugs were recovered with the documents during the operation.

“According to these same sources, “coyotes” engaged in human smuggling – and working for Juárez Cartel – help move ISIS terrorists through the desert and across the border between Santa Teresa and Sunland Park, New Mexico.”

The problem with all this doomsaying is that Judicial Watch tried exactly the same thing back in August of last year and were embarrassingly swatted down by Homeland Security.

In a piece titled “Imminent Terrorist Attack Warning By Feds on US Border—Ft. Bliss Increases Security,” Judicial Watch said:

“Islamic terrorist groups are operating in the Mexican border city of Ciudad Juarez and 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 have confirmed to Judicial Watch 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.”

But Homeland Security issued a statement of their own to the New York Times about these rumors.

“There is no credible intelligence to suggest that there is an active plot by ISIL to attempt to cross the southern border.”

These rumors have been reported on by Fox News as fact. But the New York Times points out that what Fox News tells you seems to depend on where you live.

“After senior administration officials testified at a Senate hearing last week about ISIS, an article on FoxNews.com about the testimony ran under the headline ‘D.H.S. Confirms ISIS Planning Infiltration of U.S. Southern Border.’ An article on Fox News Latino about the same hearing had the headline: ‘ISIS Terrorists Not Sneaking Over U.S. Southern Border With Mexico, D.H.S. Officials Tell Congress.'”

Did Fox News tell white, likely-Republican readers one thing and Latino likely-Democrat readers another?

Get the WebProNews newsletter delivered to your inbox

Get the free daily newsletter read by decision makers

Subscribe
Advertise with Us

Ready to get started?

Get our media kit

Advertise with Us