Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano's recent description of a U.S.-Mexico border that's "as secure as it has ever been" appear to be in direct opposition to a Pentagon assessment.
According to officials at Judicial Watch, a public-interest group that investigates public corruption and fraud, U.S. Defense Department officials believe the border is actually a gateway for Mexican criminal organizations that have infiltrated the entire country and joined forces with terrorist groups.
For months the nation's Homeland Security Secretary has repeatedly insisted that everything is safe and secure on the southwest border, even as violence escalates and overwhelmed federal agents are increasingly attacked by heavily armed drug smugglers.
Just last month Napolitano declared that violence along the Mexican border is merely a mistaken "perception" because the area is safe and "open for business."
Furthermore, President Barack Obama's Homeland Security Secretary assured that "some of America's safest communities are in the Southwest border region…."
During another speech, Napolitano accused critics of the Obama Administration of exaggerating the problems on the U.S.-Mexican border.
A top Pentagon official contradicts Napolitano's fairytale assessment, pointing out that Mexican criminal organizations extend well beyond the southwest border to cities across the country, including big ones like Atlanta, Chicago and Detroit, according to Judicial Watch.
Addressing a U.S. Senate hearing this week, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Counternarcotics and Global Threats William Wechsler warned lawmakers that all their constituencies are confronted by the threat of Mexican drug cartels.
Even more alarming is that once in the United States, the Mexican criminal groups are becoming more dangerous by forming networks with each other and insurgent or terrorist groups. In some regions the "threat networking" not only engages in drug trafficking but kidnapping, armed robbery, extortion, home invasions and other serious crimes.
The threat is so great that the assistant Defense Secretary offered federal legislators military assistance in the name of protecting national security.
"Many of the global and regional terrorists who threaten interests of the United States finance their activities with proceeds from narcotics trafficking," Wechsler reminded, adding that "extremist and international criminal networks frequently exploit local geographical, political or social conditions to establish safe havens from which they can operate with impunity."
He's former chief at a New York City housing project in Washington Heights nicknamed "Crack City" by reporters covering the drug war in the 1980s. In addition, he served as director of public safety at a New Jersey university and director of security for several major organizations. He's also served on the National Drug Task Force and trained police and security officers throughout the country. Kouri writes for many police and security magazines including Chief of Police, Police Times, The Narc Officer and others. He's a news writer and columnist for AmericanDaily.Com, MensNewsDaily.Com, MichNews.Com, and he's syndicated by AXcessNews.Com. Kouri appears regularly as on-air commentator for over 100 TV and radio news and talk shows including Fox News Channel, Oprah, McLaughlin Report, CNN Headline News, MTV, etc.
