Look who is watching our Northern border ; AKAKA of Hawaii all covered
with
lesley Philips


" Subcommittees  Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management,
the Federal Workforce, and the District of Columbia

Democrats
 Republicans

Daniel K. Akaka Chairman (D-HI) George V. Voinovich Ranking Member (R-
OH)

Carl Levin (D-MI) Scott Brown (R-MA)

Mary L. Landrieu (D-LA) Lindsey Graham (R-SC)

Roland Burris (D-IL) "


AND READ ON THE SUBCOMMITTEE WEB:


.... Contact: Leslie Phillips
(202) 224-2627
February 1, 2011

SENATORS RAISE ALARMS ABOUT NORTHERN BORDER SECURITY
GAO Finds Major Gaps



WASHINGTON – Top members of the Homeland Security and Governmental
Affairs Committee released a new report Tuesday that found alarming
security vulnerabilities on the 4,000 mile long northern border
between the United States and Canada where, according to the
Department of Homeland Security, illegal crossings by terrorists are
more likely than they are across the southern border.


The report evaluating northern border security was produced by the
Government Accountability Office (GAO) upon the request of Committee
Chairman Joe Lieberman, ID-Conn., Ranking Member Susan Collins, R-Me.,
Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations Chairman Carl Levin, D-Mich.,
Oversight of Government Management Subcommittee Chairman Daniel Akaka,
D-Hawaii, and Senator Jon Tester, D-Mont.
According to the report, the Border Patrol was aware of all illegal
border crossings on only 25 percent of the border, or 1,007 out of
4,000 miles. The Border Patrol was aware of all illegal crossings and
was able to make an immediate arrest on less than 1 percent or 32
miles of the 4,000 mile border. The Department of Homeland Security
(DHS) views the likelihood of terrorist crossing to be higher than
they are at the southern border given the large expanse of area with
limited law enforcement coverage and the presence of Islamist
extremists in Canada.
“The numbers speak for themselves,” Lieberman said. “These findings
should sound a loud alarm to the Department of Homeland Security, the
Canadian government, and our Committee. The American people are
grossly under-protected along our northern border. We’ve got to work
together with our neighbors in Canada to raise our guard. We should at
the very least be able to detect all illegal entries from Canada into
the U.S. so we can get this information into the hands of law
enforcement agencies that are well situated to make the necessary
arrests.”
Collins said: “The fact that the Border Patrol has full situational
awareness of only approximately one-quarter of the miles along the
northern border is cause for concern. This report concludes that the
Border Patrol, together with its Canadian and state and local law
enforcement partners, does not have the ability to detect illegal
crossings and to intercept these individuals along the vast majority
of the border with Canada.  These illegal crossers include individuals
seeking to illegally immigrate, criminals trafficking humans and
smuggling drugs and, potentially, terrorists.  One of my top
priorities has been to ensure that our border is open to our friends
but closed to those who would do us harm.”
Levin said: “I have serious concerns that lack of coordination between
Immigration and Customs Enforcement Personnel and Border Patrol
personnel is hindering border security in Detroit. Any failure to
coordinate efforts between agencies that weakens security on the
northern border is totally unacceptable. I have asked representatives
from the Detroit offices of ICE and CBP to meet with me at my Detroit
office within two weeks.”
Akaka said:  “This report reveals that northern border security
continues to be hindered by poor federal coordination with state,
local, tribal, and Canadian law enforcement partners. According to
GAO, in fiscal year 2010, DHS spent over $2.9 billion to secure the
northern border, yet only achieved an acceptable level of security for
32 miles out of the 4,000 mile northern border.  A more coordinated,
efficient response that leverages all law enforcement resources along
the northern border is needed to protect taxpayers’ money and to keep
Americans safe.”
Tester said: “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.’ 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.  And we’ve got
to keep working to make state and local law enforcement a part of the
team to make our country stronger and our communities safer.”
According to GAO, DHS believes the risk of terrorist activity across
the northern border is higher than across the southern border because
there are active Islamist extremist groups in Canada that are not in
Mexico, it is easier to cross the northern border because it is twice
as long as the southern border, and DHS has a fraction of the law
enforcement officers and surveillance assets on the northern border
than it has in the south. The border with Canada is also dotted with
large population centers and criss-crossed by numerous highways and
roads, making it harder to detect illegal activities amid the large
volume of legitimate trade and travel between Canada and the U.S. that
is so important to both countries.


                                                            -30-


If you have additional questions about the GAO report, feel free to
contact GAO’s Director of Homeland Security and Justice Issues Richard
Stana. He can be reached at 202 -512-8816."
 ..

mind you, THE ISSUE WAS NEVER ON HIS CALENDAR AS A CHAIR; IS THAT
ABOUT
HAWAIAN INDIANS TAKING USA FROM THE NORTH, AGAIN AND NOT ANY
LEGISLATURE?