Janet Napolitano’s recent description of a U.S.-Mexico border that’s “as secure as it has ever been” appears to be in direct opposition to a Pentagon.

 

For nearly two years, Janet Napolitano has insisted that everything is safe and secure on the southwest border, even as violence continues to escalate and overwhelmed federal agents are increasingly attacked by heavily armed drug smugglers.

Addressing a U.S. Senate hearing this week, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Counter-narcotics and Global Threats William Wechsler warned lawmakers that all their constituencies are confronted by the threat of Mexican drug cartels, and that the fairy-tale world the Department of Homeland Security secretary, is anything but secure and has far reaching effects on national security. Pentagon intelligence points out that Mexican criminal organizations extend well beyond the southwest border to cities across the country, including Atlanta, Chicago and Detroit.

The threat to national security is so great that the assistant Defense Secretary offered legislators military assistance in the name of protecting national security.