ANNEX B (INTELLIGENCE) to USARNORTH OPORD (an OPORD 19 006) for CRISIS RESPONSE FORCE ISO CBP (RFA 7)
A new U.S. Army intelligence assessment of the southwest border from the Joint Force Land Component Commander Threat Working Group shows the most likely course of action U.S. troops will face on the border would be continued border crossings and historic exploitation norms from transnational criminal organizations, referring to the Mexican drug cartels. But little to no terrorist or foreign intelligence exploitation was expected.
The new assessment is similar to an October 2018 report obtained by Newsweek showing limited exploitation by transnational criminal organizations and no terrorist infiltration of the United States via Mexico. The October report aligned with a State Department report issued a month prior in September 2018, which found, “no credible evidence indicating that international terrorist groups have established bases in Mexico, worked with Mexican drug cartels or sent operatives via Mexico into the United States.”