Monday, 06 Aug 2012 12:22 PM
2. Napolitano Admits Terrorists Are Crossing the Border
A National Drug Intelligence Center (NDIC) report released in March 2010 stated that there have been no documented cases of terrorists illegally entering the United States across the Mexican border.
But Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has contradicted that assertion with an admission that terrorists do cross the border "from time to time" with intent to attack Americans.
At a July 25 hearing of the House Homeland Security Committee, Rep. Ron Barber, D-Ariz., asked Napolitano: "As you know, Madam Secretary, there have been anecdotal reports about material evidence of the presence of terrorists along our southern border. My question is, is there any credible evidence that these reports are accurate and that terrorists are, in fact, crossing our southern border with the intent to do harm to the American people?"
Napolitano answered: "With respect, there have been from time to time, and we are constantly working against different and evolving threats involving various terrorist groups and various ways they may seek to enter the country."
She did say that the U.S.-Mexico border is "heavily, heavily staffed at record amounts of manpower, materiel, infrastructure and the like, and we are constantly making sure we're doing all we can to make that border as safe as possible."
The earlier report from the NDIC, a division of the U.S. Justice Department, stated: "Of some concern to law enforcement officials is the potential for using drug smuggling routes to move terrorists or transport weapons of mass destruction into the United States. However, there have been no incidents of this type documented, and according to federal law enforcement officials, the involvement of Mexican [drug trafficking organizations] in this type of activity is very unlikely."
But Napolitano is not the first to make a statement to the contrary. In an August 2007 interview with the El Paso Times, then-Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell was asked: "Are terrorist coming across the Southwest border?"
He responded: "Not in great numbers."
"So there are some cases?" the interviewer asked.
Said McConnell: "There are some." He added: "There were a significant number of Iraqis who came across last year. Smuggled across illegally."
Editor's Note: