The Ultra-Marathoners of Human Smuggling: Defending Forward Against Dark Networks That Can Transport Terrorists Across American Land Borders
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NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA THESIS THE ULTRA-MARATHONERS OF HUMAN SMUGGLING: DEFENDING FORWARD AGAINST DARK NETWORKS THAT CAN TRANSPORT TERRORISTS ACROSS AMERICAN LAND BORDERS by Todd Bensman September 2015 Thesis Advisor: Rodrigo Nieto-Gomez Second Reader: Carolyn Halladay Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK REPORT DOCUMENTATION PAGE Form Approved OMB No. 0704–0188 Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing instruction, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to Washington headquarters Services, Directorate for Information Operations and Reports, 1215 Jefferson Davis Highway, Suite 1204, Arlington, VA 22202-4302, and to the Office of Management and Budget, Paperwork Reduction Project (0704-0188) Washington, DC 20503. 1. AGENCY USE ONLY 2. REPORT DATE 3. REPORT TYPE AND DATES COVERED (Leave blank) September 2015 Master’s thesis 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE 5. FUNDING NUMBERS THE ULTRA-MARATHONERS OF HUMAN SMUGGLING: DEFENDING FORWARD AGAINST DARK NETWORKS THAT CAN TRANSPORT TERRORISTS ACROSS AMERICAN LAND BORDERS 6. AUTHOR(S) Bensman, Todd 7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 8. PERFORMING Naval Postgraduate School ORGANIZATION REPORT Monterey, CA 93943-5000 NUMBER 9. SPONSORING /MONITORING AGENCY NAME(S) AND 10. SPONSORING / ADDRESS(ES) MONITORING AGENCY N/A REPORT NUMBER 11. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES The views expressed in this thesis are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of Defense or the U.S. Government. IRB Protocol number ____N/A____. 12a. DISTRIBUTION / AVAILABILITY STATEMENT 12b. DISTRIBUTION CODE Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited A 13. ABSTRACT (maximum 200 words) National legislation requires America’s homeland security agencies to disrupt transnational human smuggling organizations capable of transporting terrorist travelers to all U.S. borders. Federal agencies have responded with programs targeting extreme-distance human smuggling networks that transport higher-risk immigrants known as special interest aliens (SIAs) from some 35 “countries of interest” in the Middle East, North Africa, and Asia where terrorist organizations operate. Yet ineffectiveness and episodic targeting are indicated, in part by continued migration from those countries to the U.S. southwestern border since 9/11. Should an attack linked to SIA smuggling networks occur, homeland security leaders likely will be required to improve counter-SIA interdiction or may choose to do so preemptively. This thesis asks how SIA smuggling networks function as systems and, based on this analysis, if their most vulnerable fail points can be identified for better intervention targeting. Using NVivo qualitative analysis software, the study examined 19 U.S. court prosecutions of SIA smugglers and other data to produce 20 overarching conclusions demonstrating how SIA smuggling functions. From these 20 conclusions, seven leverage points were extracted and identified for likely law enforcement intervention success. Fifteen disruption strategies, tailored to the seven leverage points, are recommended. 14. SUBJECT TERMS 15. NUMBER OF human smuggling, smuggling, dark networks, special interest aliens, third country nationals, PAGES aliens from special interest countries, border security, southwestern border, illegal immigration, 169 counterterrorism, terrorist infiltration, border infiltration, human migration, bilateral 16. PRICE CODE relationships, countries of interest, countries of special interest, systems theory 17. SECURITY 18. SECURITY 19. SECURITY 20. LIMITATION CLASSIFICATION OF CLASSIFICATION OF THIS CLASSIFICATION OF ABSTRACT REPORT PAGE OF ABSTRACT Unclassified Unclassified Unclassified UU NSN 7540–01-280-5500 Standard Form 298 (Rev. 2–89) Prescribed by ANSI Std. 239–18 i THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK ii Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited THE ULTRA-MARATHONERS OF HUMAN SMUGGLING: DEFENDING FORWARD AGAINST DARK NETWORKS THAT CAN TRANSPORT TERRORISTS ACROSS AMERICAN LAND BORDERS Todd Bensman Manager and Program Specialist, Texas Department of Public Safety Intelligence and Counterterrorism Division B.A., Northern Arizona University, 1987 M.A., University of Missouri, 2009 Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS IN SECURITY STUDIES (HOMELAND SECURITY AND DEFENSE) from the NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL September 2015 Approved by: Rodrigo Nieto-Gomez Thesis Advisor Carolyn Halladay Second Reader Mohammed Hafez Chair, Department of National Security Affairs iii THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK iv ABSTRACT National legislation requires America’s homeland security agencies to disrupt transnational human smuggling organizations capable of transporting terrorist travelers to all U.S. borders. Federal agencies have responded with programs targeting extreme- distance human smuggling networks that transport higher-risk immigrants known as special interest aliens (SIAs) from some 35 “countries of interest” in the Middle East, North Africa, and Asia where terrorist organizations operate. Yet ineffectiveness and episodic targeting are indicated, in part by continued migration from those countries to the U.S. southwestern border since 9/11. Should an attack linked to SIA smuggling networks occur, homeland security leaders likely will be required to improve counter-SIA interdiction or may choose to do so preemptively. This thesis asks how SIA smuggling networks function as systems and, based on this analysis, if their most vulnerable fail points can be identified for better intervention targeting. Using NVivo qualitative analysis software, the study examined 19 U.S. court prosecutions of SIA smugglers and other data to produce 20 overarching conclusions demonstrating how SIA smuggling functions. From these 20 conclusions, seven leverage points were extracted and identified for likely law enforcement intervention success. Fifteen disruption strategies, tailored to the seven leverage points, are recommended. v THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK vi TABLE OF CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION..................................................................................................1 A. HISTORICAL CONTEXT .......................................................................3 1. Defending Forward ........................................................................8 2. Special Interest Aliens and the Ultra-Marathoners of Smuggling .....................................................................................10 3. The Problem: A Tenacity of Geographical Black Holes ..........14 B. THESIS PURPOSE AND SCOPE: FILLING VOIDS IN STRATEGY AND SCHOLARSHIP ......................................................18 II. LITERATURE REVIEW ...................................................................................21 A. THE GREAT DIVIDE ............................................................................21 B. TRAVERSING A SPAN OF THEORY .................................................23 C. SIA SMUGGLING NETWORKS AS SOCIAL NETWORK “SYSTEMS” .............................................................................................24 D. INTERNATIONAL CONDITIONS AND GEOPOLITICS ................27 III. METHODOLOGY ..............................................................................................33 A. DATA COLLECTIONS ..........................................................................34 1. U.S. Court Prosecution Records .................................................34 2. Triangulation and Validation .....................................................37 B. PROCEDURE ..........................................................................................39 IV. ULTRA-MARATHON SMUGGLING: A STRATEGIC UNDERSTANDING ............................................................................................47 A. THREE SMUGGLING STRUCTURES ...............................................47 B. ORGANIZATIONAL ARCHITECTURES ..........................................51 1. Kingpins ........................................................................................53 2. Trusted Sub-contracted Confederates (the Inner Circle) ........53 3. Indigenous Partners (the Outer Circle) .....................................54 C. KEY NETWORK CHARACTERISTICS .............................................57 1. Nonviolent leaderships.................................................................57 2. Profit or Ideology .........................................................................58 3. Ethnic Affinity ..............................................................................62 V. FROM CRITICAL ENABLING MOBILITY FACTORS: THE LEVERAGE POINTS .........................................................................................65 A. THE KINGPINS ......................................................................................69 vii B. FOREIGN CONSULATES AND EMBASSIES OF LATIN AMERICA ................................................................................................72 C. GAMING THE U.S. ASYLUM SYSTEM .............................................80 D. ETHNIC DIASPORA COMMUNITIES ...............................................84