As the Commander of NORAD and Northcom, Admiral Timothy Keating is charged with monitoring and defending the airspace of the U.S. & Canada and for protecting the continental United States against any external or internal threat - including terrorism. Not a small job. That is what makes this interview with Keating in yesterday's San Diego Union-Tribune really fascinating. Keating covers a variety of subjects including combat air patrols, Katrina relief and Posse Comitatus. Most relevant to something I've written about recently, however, was this exchange:

The border with Mexico is part of your area of operations. Is there a terrorist component to your menu of issues on the border?

The nexus of terrorism and illegal immigration is a concern. That said, we are unaware, totally, zero, as to knowledge of terrorists using that avenue to infiltrate the United States of America. We're just as concerned about the Canadian border. So it's a two-front issue for us. We work as closely as we can imagine with all manner of domestic, local, state, national law enforcement agencies to maintain full situational awareness. We couple that with overseas intelligence apparatus and agencies so as to formulate as comprehensive a picture as we can of the movement of terrorists throughout the world.

Is terrorist movement across the Mexican border a potential threat?

It's a potential threat but we see no manifestation of the threat into reality. That is to say, we're unaware of any terrorists who are using that method of getting into the United States. We have no indication, zero indication, that the terrorists have used that as a method of entry into the United States.

Despite recent reports and rumors to the contrary, we still have no official indication or documentation that terrorists have crossed into the United States via our Southern border. So says the man directly in charge.  Keep that in mind as you listen to the ongoing debate on immigration reform.