Napolitano gets it (mostly) right on Canadian border

Homeland Security director Janet Napolitano is getting pasted in Canada this week for suggesting that our northern border is more of a terrorism concern than the US-Mexico border.

CTV said that Napolitano “suggested that the 9-11 terrorists entered the U.S. through Canada.”

The CTV story then waxes on about “misconceptions” about the 9-11 attacks and any form of Canadian involvement.

Here’s Napolitano’s exact quote:

“Yes, Canada is not Mexico, it doesn’t have a drug war going on, it didn’t have 6,000 homicides that were drug-related last year,” she said.

“Nonetheless, to the extent that terrorists have come into our country or suspected or known terrorists have entered our country across a border, it’s been across the Canadian border. There are real issues there.”

When asked if she was referring to the 9-11 terrorists, Napolitano added: “Not just those but others as well.”

The Canadians are right that their country had no involvement whatsoever with 9-11, as a transit point or a haven for Al Quaeda operatives involved in that particular attack.

But it’s also clearly documented that the so-called Millenium Bomber did base his plot out of Montreal.

Canadian intelligence agencies have warned repeatedly that Canada’s immigrant community includes active terror cells sympathetic to Al Quaeda.

Algeria terrorists have also used Canada as a staging ground for terror attacks in Europe.

Clearly, Napolitano should be careful with her words.

But Canadian officials know that the basic premise of her comment — that our northern border has been a transit point for Islamic extremists — remains uncomfortably true.