On April 6, Secretary Napolitano delivered a speech at the National War College in Washington, DC. The core of the speech focused on the Department of Homeland Security’s “strategy for securing the Southwest border while facilitating legitimate trade and travel.”

The Secretary said, “Taken as a whole, our strategy represents the most serious and sustained action to secure our border in our nation’s history, and every key measure indicates that this approach is working. The challenges we face at the borders are real, but so too is the progress that we’ve made.”

An integral part of the Secretary’s remarks focused on “the steps taken by the Obama administration to strengthen and secure the Southwest border.” The Secretary cited the “unprecedented levels of personal, technology, and resources,” that DHS has deployed over the past several years to the Southwest border, “resulting in a 53 percent decreased in border apprehensions – a key indicator of illegal immigration – over the past three years.” Additionally, the Secretary “underscored the critical support from our partners across the federal government to facilitate our serious and sustained effort in this endeavor.”

The Secretary also emphasized the Department’s commitment to both “securing the border while facilitating legitimate trade and travel.”