Canadian government ‘fact check’ dismisses Trump administration claims about border

The U.S. government's own figures 'do not support' Republican claims about the border, a report found.

The Trump administration’s claims that Canada’s border is a national security threat do not stand up to scrutiny, according to an internal government report obtained by Global News.

Responding to claims by Republican politicians that hundreds of suspected terrorists cross illegally into the U.S. from Canada, the report countered that such incidents were “limited.”

Republican members of Congress have described Canada as “a major threat,” claiming the “porous northern border” was a crisis that needed to be addressed through legislation.

“The actual statistics from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, however, do not support these claims,” the Canadian government’s Integrated Terrorism Assessment Centre wrote.

Marked “Secret/Canadian Eyes Only,” the report was written a week after President Donald Trump was sworn into office. A copy was released to Global News under the Access to Information Act.

Prime Minister Mark Carney visited the White House on Tuesday amid a trade war initiated by Trump, which he has justified partly by citing the flow of illegal migrants and fentanyl from Canada.

Pro-Trump lawmakers signed a statement last year claiming the Biden administration’s “neglect” of the northern border had left the U.S. vulnerable to an “unprecedented surge” of illegal migrants crossing from Canada, among them “known terrorists.”

“Media have reported that politicians in the U.S. have expressed concerns in relation to the Canadian border,” said the report, which described itself as a “fact check” of American statements.