Staff Reports
Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin stirred a needed conversation in a recent Fox Business interview when he warned that illicit activity is rising along the U.S.–Canada border and that DHS will have to move more assets north. That admission should be a wake-up call to anyone who still thinks border problems stop at the southern line. The country needs honest talk and quick action — not more excuses.
Mullin’s warning: “Increase on our northern border”
On the air, Secretary Markwayne Mullin said plainly that “we’re seeing an increase on our northern border now that we’ve got to put more assets to.” He explained that pressure from stepped-up enforcement on the southern border pushes drug and human-smuggling networks to try other routes. That’s not spin — it’s basic supply-chain math criminals understand better than some in Washington.
What the facts show
Independent oversight backs Mullin up. A Government Accountability Office review documents rising Border Patrol encounters along the northern border, spots of increased drug seizures near Canada, and shortfalls in staffing for key technology roles. U.S. Customs and Border Protection data show the same trend: some upticks in apprehensions and seizures in northern sectors, even if the biggest flows still cross from the south. Translation: traffickers are adapting, and our coverage is lagging.
Policy gaps and the need for real resources
It is encouraging that DHS is moving resources and that construction and enforcement at the southern border have tightened certain routes. But tightening one door without guarding the windows invites trouble. If the administration means business, it will fund more agents, aircraft, sensors and the tech-monitoring staff the GAO flagged as missing. It should also work with Canadian partners and publish clear metrics so the public knows whether moves north are working.
Time for action — not headline theater
Mullin deserves credit for saying out loud what needs doing. Now Congress and the administration must stop arguing and start delivering real assets and oversight. Border security is national security, plain and simple. If Washington keeps playing whack-a-mole with policy and budgets, smugglers will keep finding new holes. No one should be surprised when they do — except the people who ignored the warnings until a secretary had to put it on TV.
