Dysfunction Hinders US Border Protection

The headline to this article reads:

Congressional report cites fresh concerns about security of Canada-U.S. border

A new US government report has been released on the US/Canada border situation. Oh boy, here we go again; another rant about the unsecure northern border and Canada’s loose immigration laws. At least, that’s what I thought when I started reading it. There is, to be sure, comments like this one from Joe Lieberman:

"Canadians do have more lenient asylum and immigration laws than we do here and that potentially has an effect on us because of our border,"

The vast size of the northern border was brought up as well, with only approximately 50 kms of the 6400 km border being controlled by US border patrols.

But what was really interesting was what the report the article is talking about says about DHS internally, and how dysfunction between internal factions is hindering border security. From the article:

Among other findings, the GAO report said petty rivalries between myriad federal and state agencies patrolling the border are undermining efforts to crack down not just on drug smugglers, but illegal immigrants and potential terrorists.

…some units within Homeland Security clash over who conducts border surveillance, who interviews detained immigrants and who gets credit for apprehensions, seizures and prosecutions.

Efforts, in fact, to police the border have been tainted by rivalries that "may result in inefficiencies and a breakdown of co-ordination, ultimately leading to the risk of a border that is less secure.''

Various U.S. agencies also fail to share information with one another due to mutual distrust, the report found.

Interestingly, the bright spot in regards to cooperation and sharing of information came between Canada and US departments.

So what does all this mean? Maybe the northern border is a concern. Maybe the US should step up their presence there. The article mentions that Joe Lieberman is calling for more funding and tougher security measures…maybe they need that.

Or maybe they should figure out why there’s so much distrust, inefficiencies, and rivalries within DHS. It makes one wonder how effective border security would be if everyone was reminded they’re working for the same team.

Update – I came across an article from The Vancouver Sun that also talked about the report and Joe Lieberman’s comments. What wasn’t mentioned in the Winnipeg Free Press article was this little gem:

Senator Joe Lieberman, chairman of the Senate Homeland Security committee, said the findings confirm that security efforts are "unacceptably ineffective." He said the report has raised enough concerns that he feels it is time for the U.S. and Canada to discuss whether it makes sense to require Canadians to have visas in order to enter the United States.

"I think it is something that we should be talking about with our Canadian neighbours," Lieberman told reporters.

Now, this is *just* Joe Lieberman making these comments, not Obama or the entire GOP conglomerate. Still, they need to refocus on the real issues: the dysfunction within DHS that is preventing real security from being implemented in the first place.