Texas Insider Report: WASHINGTON D.C. Texas U.S. Sen. John Cornyn on Thursday questioned Director of National Intelligence James Clapper & Defense Intelligence Agency Director Lt. General Ronald Burgess on the national security threat posed by the violence along our southern border. Clapper indicated that the U.S.s porous southern border posed a direct threat to national security. Watch the hearing video & read the transcript of the hearing below.
Cornyns questioning came during a Senate Armed Services hearing.
SEN. CORNYN:…I would like to get your assessment of whether that represents a national security threat to the United States a potential national security threat?
DNI CLAPPER: Well yes sir it does… Below is a full transcript of this mornings hearing. You can also watch video of it below.
CORNYN: Thank you Mr. Chairman. Gentleman Id like to direct your attention to violence really a war occurring right out our back door in Mexico and to get some of your observations about that. But first Director Clapper I -- the Government Accountability Office has documented that there were 445000 illegal entries into the United States across our southern border in 
Fiscal Year 2010.
The Border Patrol has reported that out of those 445000 about 45000 are immigrants coming from countries other than Mexico. Its more than 100 different countries including at least four state sponsors of terrorism so designated by the State Department. I would like to get your assessment of whether that represents a national security threat to the United States a potential national security threat.
CLAPPER: Well yes sir it does. I think this -- you know the issues of narco-trafficking and the prevalence of the drug cartels in Mexico is a matter of national security interest to both countries.
I think it was you know recognized and reaffirmed by -- recently with President Calderons visit here with President Obama. I can -- you know from an intelligence perspective I think weve made a lot of progress in partnering with the Mexicans some excellent work going on down there together which has resulted in significant takedowns of high-value targets cartel leaders and the like. And that will continue.
Were actually you know I think following a pattern established in -- in Colombia. And I think Colombia is instructive since that took a long period of time to reach the state we are now. But clearly the whole situation there is -- is -- is a serious one. I am going to be shortly making the rounds to visit EPIC and Border Patrol and other entities down there intelligence entities that are committed to this problem.
But its a serious one.
CORNYN: Im glad to hear that youll be traveling to El Paso to the El Paso Intelligence Center. Theyre doing some very good work down there. But frankly a lot more needs to be done.
But would you agree with me Director Clapper that an individual with enough money and enough determination can penetrate our southwestern border and make their way into the United States anyone with that sort of determination and enough money and that that does represent a potential terrorist threat to the United States?
CLAPPER: Yes sir. I dont -- I dont pretend nor would I dont think Secretary Napolitano pretend that you know weve got an iron-clad perfect system.
But at the same time Id be remiss not to commend the tremendous work of the Border Patrol and ICE and others that are involved with this -- with this problem.
But to say that its you know iron-clad perfect and somebody could get through yes sir.
CORNYN: I think the General Accountability Office would agree with you. In fact they state that only -- in a February 15th report that only -- that theres still 1120 miles of our 2000-mile southern border that is not under the control of the U.S. government when it comes to border security. So I think weve got a lot of work to do.
But I agree with you Director Clapper. We need to commend the good work that is being done although its under-resourced and short-staffed. And we need to do more to secure our borders not just to restore the rule of law but also to prevent our country from suffering terror attacks through that southern portal.
Id like to ask General Burgess the former CIA director General Mike Hayden said that -- after he left the government he said that as national -- as a national security challenge that would keep him awake at night that the fact that the -- Mexico has seen the sort of drug-related violence -- some 35000 roughly Mexicans killed since 2006 more than 140 Americans killed in that violence since 2006 -- he said thats one of the things that would keep him awake at night considering the proximity of Mexico to the United States the fact theyre our third-largest trading partner.
And I would like to know do you think that the United States has a coherent meaningful strategy in place to deal with the escalating violence in Mexico? I 
worry that once President Calderon leaves office we dont know who his successor will be or what their commitment will be to continuing that fight.
Id be interested in your assessment of that sir.
BURGESS: Well sir a couple of points. Probably would be inappropriate for me as the director of the Defense Intelligence Agency to comment on whether we as a U.S. government have a complete coherent strategy vis-a-vis Mexico.
From -- from an intelligence standpoint I know -- from my days in the director of national intelligence in a previous life -- that we have worked with our friends in Mexico to ensure that from an intelligence standpoint we have put the processes and the capabilities in place that will enable both of our national interest in terms of following some of the problems you have been identifying and that we have made some progress towards that though I would characterize it as a work in progress as we put it together.
I have been testifying since 2000 during my time not as long as Director Clapper in terms of doing testimony up here. And I used to refer to this -- the problem you were somewhat describing in my days at U.S. Southern Command as beams of light into the United States and that these beams of light whether it be illegal migration or however you want to phrase the term or whether it be the drugs coming across or the weapons that are moving back and forth that all of those are beams of light coming across our southern border.
And it is a national security concern because if you can move drugs if you can move people you can move other things that are of concern to us as a nation. So it is something that we need to have an interest in.
CORNYN: If I could just follow up one last question with Director Clapper. You compared whats happening in Mexico I believe to what -- to our experience in Colombia. There is -- how would you describe the nature of whats happening in Mexico now?
Theres been -- Secretary Clinton at one point characterized the situation in Mexico as an insurgency. Others seemed to walk back from that characterization.
But how would you characterize it?
CLAPPER: Well I just think the whole business of -- however you want to label it -- of drug trafficking is just a very serious national security problem. Its one that we both -- both countries share in. As President Calderon points out if it werent for the demand here that wouldnt generate the business down there. Its just -- its just a serious national security concern to both countries is the way Id characterize it.
CORNYN: You do consider it comparable to Colombia?
CLAPPER: I do in -- yes sir I do. And -- and in the context of -- of what I meant by that is that we learned a lot from our our cooperation with the Colombian government particularly with respect to intelligence and how the tactics techniques and procedures that were used and developed and honed over a period of 10 or 15 years in Colombia and were applying that same approach to the extent that the Mexican government which is a sovereign nation to the extent that they -- they will permit us to -- to help them.
I think we are enjoying some success. But as General Burgess says its a work in progress.
