Border Patrol Deputy Chief Tells Congress Canada Border Is Not Secure

The testimony, combined with recent disclosures about Iranian nationals encountered at the northern border, is likely to intensify congressional scrutiny of northern border staffing and...

The U.S. Border Patrol's acting deputy chief told members of the House Homeland Security Committee on Tuesday that the U.S.-Canada border is not secure. Jason Schneider, the agency's second-in-command, delivered the acknowledgment during a hearing before the committee, according to reporting by the Washington Examiner. Border Patrol employs approximately 21,000 federal law enforcement personnel across its operations.

The testimony came days after Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin disclosed that Iranian nationals had been encountered attempting to enter the United States illegally across the northern border. The specific number of individuals encountered, the locations of those encounters, and the current status of those individuals were not specified in publicly available accounts of Mullin's disclosure as of publication.

Simultaneously, Iran and Oman have agreed to move forward with a proposal to collect fees from commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz, according to reporting by the New York Times and the New York Post. Oman, a U.S. ally, formally delivered the proposal to the United States and other allied governments. The proposal describes the fees as "voluntary" and claims they are modeled on transit fees collected for the Straits of Malacca. The U.S. government's formal response to the proposal has not been made public as of June 30, 2026.

On the northern border question, the House Homeland Security Committee hearing did not, in publicly reported accounts, produce a specific timeline for remediation, a staffing breakdown by sector, or a budget request to address the gaps Schneider identified. What documents would answer those questions: CBP's congressional budget justification for fiscal year 2027, any supplemental appropriations requests submitted to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security, and the full transcript of Tuesday's hearing, which is maintained in the Congressional Record.

What remains unknown: the full scope of Iranian national encounters at the northern border cited by Secretary Mullin, including dates, sectors, and disposition of cases; whether Schneider's testimony prompted any immediate legislative response from committee leadership; and whether the administration has submitted a formal written reply to Oman's Strait of Hormuz fee proposal, which would be discoverable through State Department correspondence or a congressional notification under relevant foreign policy statutes.