Media Exaggerating Reports Of Border Violence, Says Napolitano

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano told a group of collegiate students in Texas today that while violence along the U.S.’s southwest border is ongoing, it is not “out of control.”

“We are deeply concerned about the drug cartel violence taking place in Mexico. We know that these drug organizations are seeking to undermine the rule of law in Northern Mexico and that we must guard against spillover effects into the United States,” Napolitano said during an appearance at the University of Texas-El Paso.

“Nonetheless, it is inaccurate to state, as too many have, that the border is overrun with violence and out of control. This statement—often made only to score political points—is just plain wrong. Not only does it ignore all of the statistical evidence, it also belittles the significant progress that effective law enforcement has made to protect this border and the people who live alongside it,” she added.

Napolitano’s speech highlighted recent efforts that DHS has undertaken to beef up security along the border. The Obama administration launched the “Southwest Border Initiative” in 2009 to combat a large spike in drug violence that many feared would carry over into the U.S.