Border fails the test of undercover U.S. investigators

Border fails the test of undercover U.S. investigators

www.cbc.ca

Undercover American investigators who snuck duffel bags across the U.S.-Canada border have concluded that a smuggler could easily carry radioactive material or other contraband from one country to the other.

The Government Accountability Office, an investigative branch of the U.S. Congress, sent out investigators to test how hard it would be to transfer large red duffel bags at unguarded and unmonitored spots along the 8,000-kilometre border.

(visit the link for the full news article)


Related News Links:
www.ctv.ca

So while the Americans focus so much attention on the southern border with Mexico, the northern border goes almost unguarded with only 972 border agents.

Only once was the crossing reported by a civilian. By the time the authorities arrived, the UC agents were gone.

Pretty scary stuff, imo. And that goes for crossing in both directions.

www.cbc.ca
(visit the link for the full news article)

Smugglers sneak hundreds of thousands of people every year successfully. So why should this surprise you now?

I didn't say I was surprised. I live in a province that borders Maine and there is a lot of smuggling that occurs every day. The areas in the northwestern part of New Brunswick are used for drug and immigrant smuggling frequently. It's the fact that this is known amongst both US and Canadian law enforcement and Immigration officials and still nothing is done.

This operation just underlines the need to refocus some of your Border guards to the Northern half of the country. A newspaper in Montreal did the same sort of test last month with exactly the same results. As I pointed out, the US only deploys 972 border agents on the Northern border compared to an estimated 12,000 on the southern one. CBSA has approx. 12,000 employees in total but I'm not sure how many of those are actual border guards, I'll look that up.

reply to post by GAOTU789


Well it was based on luck that we caught the terrorist during the millenium, but again that was pure luck. The terrorists won't just try driving through a checkpoint again like that, not when you got thousands of miles that can be easily crossed through without anybody watching. Same thing going for the South. You have the Minutemen trying to do something about it, but people considered them vigilantes. Whether its the right thing or the wrong thing is matter of debate.

reply to post by deltaboy


I was going to mention the millenium case but I'm still undecided as to whether that was luck or a plant for the reasons you stated.

As for the minutemen, I think they are doing a much needed service for your country and it should be recoginized as such. Maybe they could be persuaded to start up north also. They certainly couldn't hurt the situation up here.

A little more on this story...

www.theglobeandmail.com...

At a Capitol Hill hearing, U.S. Senator Ken Salazar from Colorado says there's been far too much focus on the border with Mexico and not enough on the Canadian line.

Mr. Salazar claims there are more international terrorist organizations in Canada than anywhere else in the world.

I'd like to see that claim backed up with some evidence other than his word.

I don't deny that there are terrorist cells in this country but to say such a ridiculous thing.

I think the powers that be behind the scenes want to break down our society and its nationhoods [Can US and Mex ] so they can build an economic global c controlling entity of their own and on their terms with little bothersome civil rights\
Hate to say it
y

Hey, glad someone posted this.
I was going to post it this morning, but ran out of time before I had to charge off to work.

Check this out from the Globe and Mail article:

Mr. Salazar claims there are more international terrorist organizations in Canada than anywhere else in the world.

U.S. senators blast Canadian border security - Globe and Mail
Whaa?

I'd really like to see Mr. Salazar's research to support a claim like this.

Yep. sounds like a rather ignorant statement to me BitRaiser.

I guess it sounds good when your trying to beef up security on the Northern border.

Still trying to figure out the need to spend more tax dollars hiring "border patrol agents" when the National Guard should be doing it.. but oh wait I forgot, we need them to fight wars in foreign lands..

i seen this on the news.. kinda scary huh?.. well just think how long the boarders have been like this... and think about all the stuff that's made it over here that we dont know about... we should have been on top of this 50 years ago... we wouldnt be having this problem now!

reply to post by KINGOFPAIN


Why is it scary?
As you say, it's been this way for a long time. As far as I know, there's never been a major terrorist incident than can be traced back to Canada.

Sounds to me like someone is selling fear in order to pursue their political agenda.

I hate when they report this kind of stuff. Now they better do SOMETHING about the lax border control, because now that it's public, someone with an actual intent to be malicious knows about it.

reply to post by supervortex2004


Anyone with a malicious intent would have known about it a long time ago.

It has been called the worlds longest undefended border since I can remember. It was actually a point of pride up until 9/11. Now it's a GREAT BIG hole in your and our security.

My Opinion

I don't care if there are any border agents along the U.S, Canada border.

All the bad people are gonna get across and do bad things and nobodies

gonna be able to stop them woooooo scary. LOL

Theres alot of bad people from everywhere, not all the bad guys are gonna

sneak through the border some of em may even be from your province or

state(Gasp)

Those are my opinions

Originally posted by deltaboy
Smugglers sneak hundreds of thousands of people every year successfully. So why should this surprise you now?

$13 billion spent of taxpayers dollars for border security.

www.whitehouse.gov...

I would have thought something world have been done by now.
Where's all the money gone?

Yeah, I am suprised that only a few miles of chain link fence have been put up and a few officers hired. Were talking Billions here.

Taxpayers are such fools!

Our Prime Minister and our Public Safety minister are replying to this today and laying blame for the border problem on the US.

cnews.canoe.ca...

Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day outlined steps the government has taken to keep the border closed to terrorists and open for trade and tourism, including $430 million for border infrastructure and security upgrades and more RCMP patrols and border guards.

"First, let's be clear: Canada is not responsible for the processes in place for entry into the U.S., which is the focus of the report," he said.

I have a crazy idea. Instead of playing "You did it... NO you did it" why not work together to fix the problem.