On CNN's “Outfront” broadcast on Friday, CNN national security analyst and former director of national intelligence James Clapper said he was “very concerned” about the potential for terrorists to take advantage of the chaos at the southern border. Ta. It has changed a lot since my time and is now more international. There are also Chinese, Russians and others. ” and borders “are a major national security concern.”
Host Erin Burnett said, “The Houthis are saying American interests are a legitimate target. They've been very clear about that. Now, obviously they're coming from their home base of Yemen They can't attack the United States, Secretary, but they and others can take advantage of the chaos at the southern border, where there were 225,000 illegal border crossings in December alone. . It's an amazing number. Every time I say that, I have to go check it out. How much does it worry you when you see that boundary?”
Clapper replied: The composition of people crossing borders has changed considerably since my time and is now more cosmopolitan. There are also Chinese, Russians and others. So we traditionally thought of these people as coming from Central and South America. Well, it's much wider than that. Therefore, this is a serious national security concern. However, that doesn't mean it should be our exclusive focus. We should be able to chew gum while walking to maintain our leadership position internationally while paying attention to our southern border. ”
to follow Ian Hanchett's Twitter @Ian Hanchett
