Trump's homeland security chief says pressure on Mexican cartels pushing crime to Canadian border

The U.S. Crackdown on do drugs trafficking on the edge with united mexican states has triggered an growth in malefactor activity coming across the border from Canada, according to Markwayne Mullin, the U.S. Secretary of homeland security.

Speaking to an audience in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday alongside Canada's Minister of Public Safety Gary Anandasangaree, Mullin said law enforcement officials are seeing an increase in fentanyl trafficking from Canada, something he attributed to U.S. Efforts against Mexican cartels at the southern border.

"The biggest concern we see is what's happening on our southern border being pushed up to our northern border because of the pressure we're putting on the cartels," Mullin told a conference at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a think-tank.

He said the cartels "don't just go away. Their business models still exist. The demand still exists, and so they start pushing and looking for other areas."

The Trump administration's concerns about border security are among its key irritants with Canada.

This was the first Canada-focused public event by Mullin since he took over as homeland security secretary from Kristi Noem in March.

U.S. Authorities arrest someone on the country's terrorist watchlist "almost weekly" at the northern border, Mullin said. He also said law enforcement is seeing "lots more" drug trafficking from Canada, particularly fentanyl, over the past year.

"Our biggest priority now is to have great partnerships with our friends to the north, to be able to actively stop it before it grows to the point that it is in Mexico," he said

However, the overall tone of his comments suggest Mullin and the security apparatus he oversees are on good terms with their Canadian counterparts.

"Just working through small things," he said, with a nod toward Anadasangaree. "We'll get through it, the minister and I are going to build a great relationship. We're going to be able to make this happen."

Mullin even struck a note that differs from some of Trump's most anti-Canadian rhetoric.

"We have fought wars together with Canada, we have spilled blood together in other parts of the world," said Mullin.

"When push comes to shove, you know, we may disagree on stuff, but they need us and we need them," he said. "We've got to figure it out because we're not going anywhere, and they're not going anywhere, too."

Fentanyl ingredients entering Canada via Vancouver en route to cartel-run drug labs, U.S. DEA boss says

Anandasangaree touted the impact of Canada's border security plan over the past 18 months, saying it has brought a significant reduction in irregular migration and drug trafficking to the U.S.

He acknowledged there's "room for improvement" on communication between Canadian and U.S. Law enforcement but cited several high-profile cases where there has been cross-border co-operation, including the capture of accused drug trafficker Ryan Wedding.

"What differences we have are negligible, compared to what we have in common and the work that we're doing together," Anandasangaree said. "So if there are irritations, we need to just work through them."

Correspondent

---

---