U.S. lawmakers calling for Homeland Security to conduct threat analysis of Canadian border
Washington Post | October 29, 2015 10:31 AM ET
More from Washington Post
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill late Wednesday to require the Department of Homeland Security to conduct a threat analysis of the Canadian border. A similar Senate bill is awaiting a floor vote.
The union that represents border patrol officers applauded the move, saying the government needs to focus more on the potential terrorist threat from undocumented immigrants crossing the northern border. “We’ve always said that illegal immigration is like water – it’s going to take the path of least resistance,” said Shawn Moran, vice president of the National Border Patrol Council. “The northern border is a vulnerability, and it always has been.”
As an example, Moran cited the 1999 arrest in Port Angeles, Wash., of Ahmed Ressam, an al-Qaida member dubbed the “Millennium Bomber” for being part of a plot to bomb Los Angeles International Airport and other targets during millennium celebrations. Moran also expressed concern about Islamic State radicals crossing into the United States through Canada.
Related
The U.S-Canadian frontier, the longest border in the world at more than 8,850 kilometres, is patrolled by more than 2,000 Border Patrol agents, DHS officials said. That’s far fewer than the more than 17,000 agents stationed at the southwest border, but far more than in the past. In 2001, officials said, there were only about 300 agents on the border.
DHS Deputy Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has also traveled to a number of northern border states to discuss security in recent months, including Montana and North Dakota. DHS declined to comment specifically on the congressional bills since they are pending.
The bipartisan House bill, whose primary sponsor was Rep. John Katko, R-N.Y., requires DHS to conduct an analysis of “current and potential terrorism threats posed by individuals seeking to enter the United States through the northern border.” It also requires a look at whether more agents and officers are needed along the border.
A similar Senate bill, sponsored by Sens. Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D., and Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., passed the Homeland Security committee in July and is awaiting a floor vote. “Keeping North Dakotans strong in safe in their communities is my top priority – and an important part of that means making sure federal border security officials and local law enforcement have the resources and personnel they need to secure our Northern Border — the longest common land border in the world,” Heitkamp said.
http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/u-s-lawmakers-calling-for-homeland-security-to-conduct-threat-analysis-of-canadian-border
