Report: ISIS Camp Eight Miles From Mexico-Texas Border

Ciudad Juarez, aka “murder valley” is one of the deadliest cities in the world. It’s home to drug cartels, rampant murder and now an Islamic State training ground? 

Mexican authorities have reportedly uncovered an Islamic State camp in the Mexican city—just 8 miles from El Paso, Texas, according to Judicial Watch.

An investigative operation uncovered Muslim prayer rugs, Arabic documents and more, the article says. 

“Mexican intelligence sources report that ISIS intends to exploit the railways and airport facilities in the vicinity of Santa Teresa, NM (a US port-of-entry),” reads the article. “The sources also say that ISIS has ‘spotters’ located in the East Potrillo Mountains of New Mexico (largely managed by the Bureau of Land Management) to assist with terrorist border crossing operations. ISIS is conducting reconnaissance of regional universities; the White Sands Missile Range; government facilities in Alamogordo, NM; Ft. Bliss; and the electrical power facilities near Anapra and Chaparral, NM.”

This isn’t the first time suspected members of the radical Islamic group were suspected to be in the area. 

In 2014, Arizona State Rep. Trent Franks quoted a Judicial Watch report to a radio show, expressing concern over the state of the border. 

“It is true, that we know that ISIS is present in Ciudad Juarez or they were within the last few weeks,” Franks says, according to BuzzFeed. “So there’s no question that they have designs on trying to come into Arizona. The comment that I’ve made is that if unaccompanied minors can cross the border then certainly trained terrorists probably can to. It is something that is real.” 

However, the Department of Homeland Security said the report was unsubstantiated. 

“At present, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the FBI are unaware of any specific, credible threat to the U.S. homeland from ISIL,” a law enforcement officer at the border tells an ABC affiliate. “Plainly, however, violent extremists who support ISIL have demonstrated the intent and capability to target American citizens overseas, and ISIL constitutes an active and serious threat within the region.”