U.S.-Canada border security is no hoax

Over the last two weeks, front-page reports have blared out “Five terrorists heading to U.S. from Canada.” Commentators have suggested Canada is the United States’ Achilles heel of homeland security. Yet Tuesday, the FBI announced that the account of the five entering the United States was fabricated. They have withdrawn the photos of the five from their Web site.

Many Canadians are getting sadly resigned to these negative and ultimately baseless reports. This was not the first time that Canada was falsely accused of allowing terrorists to cross its borders. Media reports flashed around the world after the Sept. 11 attacks suggested several of the 19 hijackers entered the United States from the northern border. We now know that none of the terrorists came from Canada.

These inaccurate reports pile up and continue to nourish a false impression of Canada as an unreliable security partner of the United States. These media-driven impressions simply do not match up with the reality of the security along your northern border or with Canada’s actions since Sept. 11 in the campaign against terrorism.

Over the past year, Canada has taken strong measures to keep out people who pose a threat to North America. This is as much in our interest as it is yours. Simply put, Canada does not want terrorists in our country. New immigration regulations have been implemented to tighten refugee determination policies and impose harsher penalties for those using or selling false documents. Extra immigration control officers were hired and posted abroad to stop the terrorists before they come here. As a result, nearly 8,000 individuals were denied boarding on flights to Canada last year.

As part of the Smart Border process, Canada and the United States have set up new Integrated Border Enforcement Teams to cooperate in guarding our shared borders and increase the exchange of information between law enforcement, intelligence and border enforcement agencies. These IBETs have effectively disrupted criminal networks attempting to smuggle illegal migrants across the border and have made numerous arrests.

This is only a partial list of what Canada has done to enhance security at the border. These initiatives rarely make front-page or evening news.

It is impossible to give a 100 percent guarantee that no terrorists will ever enter from Canada; sadly, no Western country is free from terrorist threats and infiltration. But what is encouraging is that Canadian and American resolve and ongoing cooperation between agencies in our two countries still represent the best bet for our common security. That is good news for all of us.

Ronald Irwin is the Canadian consulate general for New England.