U.S. needs to ‘raise our guard’ at northern border, says Lieberman

The U.S. is highly vulnerable to an attack by terrorists entering the country across the border with Canada, members of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee said Tuesday.

Citing a recently released federal study that found that only 32 miles of the 4,000-mile border had an “acceptable level of control,” senators of both parties called on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to strengthen security at the northern border.

{mosads}“The numbers speak for themselves,” said committee chairman Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.). “These findings should sound a loud alarm to the Department of Homeland Security, the Canadian government and our committee. The American people are grossly underprotected along our northern border. We’ve got to work together with our neighbors in Canada to raise our guard.”

According to a Government Accountability Office report, the U.S. Border Patrol was aware of illegal border crossings along only 1,007 miles of the 4,000-mile border. The Border Patrol said the remaining three-fourths of the border stood at “unacceptable” security levels.

According to the report, DHS believe the likelihood of a terrorist using the northern border to cross into the U.S. is much greater than an attacker coming in from Mexico “given the large expanse of area with limited law enforcement coverage.”

“We know that terrorists are going to probe to try and find the weak link, and if you see a build-up along the southern border you’re not likely to try and cross through Mexico,” said Sen. Susan Collins (Maine), the ranking Republican on the committee. “You’re much more likely to try and cross into our country through Canada, and we have to acknowledge that reality.”

In fiscal year 2010, DHS spent nearly $3 billion investigating illegal northern border activity, making some 6,000 arrests and confiscating nearly 40,000 pounds of illegal drugs at and between the northern border ports of entry, according to the report.

Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.), whose state borders a long section of Canada, said DHS needs to reevaluate its resources and implement a more sound strategy to monitor illegal border activity.

“This report tells us what folks in Montana already know – that Homeland Security’s effort to secure the northern border has earned a grade of ‘incomplete,’” Tester said in a statement.

“DHS has to develop strategies that maximize resources so taxpayers are getting the most bang for their buck. We need to make smarter use of technology, because we don’t need or want the border overloaded with federal agents,” he said.

Lieberman said the United States will never have enough manpower to patrol the border’s full expanse. But by using existing technology, he said, the “situational awareness” of activity along the border could dramatically increase.

Lieberman had hoped the billion-dollar SBI-net program developed along the U.S.-Mexico border would be successful, so it could be used along the northern border as well. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano recently canceled the so-called “virtual fence” program, calling it a waste of taxpayer money. The move was met with approval from a majority of lawmakers from both parties, as well as Lieberman.

As Congress continues to try to rein in spending this year, Lieberman argued that the cost of law enforcement in other parts of the country that stemmed from illegal activity along the northern border was greater than the cost of securing the border.

“It’s hard to give a detailed answer [about budget possibilities],” Lieberman told reporters. “What we can see from the GAO report is that there is clearly a need. And we’re suffering vulnerability, in terms of terrorist attacks, but also drug smuggling and other forms of crime coming across the border. So we pay a price for not investing in northern border security.

“As we go through the budget process this year with DHS, I’m going to keep asking them, ‘What are you investing in northern border security?’ We understand that we’re operating in a very difficult budgetary climate, but this is our security and only the national government can ultimately provide for it,” Lieberman said.

He added that he hoped to hold a hearing on the issue soon, after DHS had a chance to develop proposals for how to tighten the border’s security.