The recent visit by three top U.S. officials to a town on the U.S. Mexico border highlighted the all-of-government effort to stop the flow of illegal immigrants and dangerous drugs into the country.
“[T]he border crisis has become a matter of national intelligence, and it’s also become something that requires the Department of Defense to engage with,” said Vice President JD Vance.
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard noted that under the previous administration, 21 million people have come across the border - many with no vetting:
“From Central Asia, there were over 4,000 people who came across our borders using an ISIS-affiliated network. Our National Counterterrorism Center went through and identified those individuals. There were hundreds of them who were either known terrorists or associated with known terrorists. ... Our Counterterrorism Center is working on making sure that we have that single source for vetting so that we can figure out who is actually in our country and identify those who pose a threat and get them removed.”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth noted that his department is bringing assets to bear that contribute to the significant progress being made on the border:
“Not just troops, not just surveillance, not just equipment, but actual planning and capabilities that enhance what Border Patrol is already doing. ... We’ve seen it in the numbers: 98 percent drop in crossings on the southern border. We’re not yet at 100 percent operational control, but we are on our way because that is the mandate the president has given us.”
Vice President Vance underscored that one way to help secure the border is to “make it easier for people who are here illegally to go back home of their own accord:”
“We don’t want to have to go around and arrest every person, but we will enforce the American people’s immigration laws. If you’re here illegally, the message from our administration is you should go back home, and if you want to come to the United States, apply through the proper channels.”
Vice President Vance also urged the Mexican government to take seriously the job of fighting the drug cartels and traffickers, and stopping the flow of drugs into the U.S. “We want the Mexican government to help itself, but also in the process to help the American people,” he said. “We’re hopeful they will.”
