MCALLEN, Texas – Two years into his 10-year tenure as the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, James B. Comey paid his first visit to the agency's field office in deep South Texas, one of the busiest in the nation.
"What a beautiful place to live. You're very lucky," Comey said.
He said even so, the FBI and its local, state and federal partners in law enforcement have their hands full with cases of public corruption, cartel-related kidnappings and more.
However, he discounted fears and rumors about terrorism on both sides of the border.
"I do not see any indication of terrorists using the southwest border to cross with the assistance of the cartels or otherwise," Comey said.
He also said he has no evidence of any terrorist training camps on either side of the border.
"That's just false," he said.
He said groups like ISIL may have the desire, but not the means to stage an "outside-in attack."
Comey said ISIL instead uses the Internet and social media to spread its beliefs and recruit members worldwide. However, the FBI director said the agency and its Mexican counterparts are monitoring any movements in that regard.
Also, given the recent riots in Baltimore, Comey voiced his frustration with the lack of specific data on violent encounters between police and civilians.
"I cannot tell you ... how many people were shot by police in the U.S. in the last week, last month or last year," Comey said.
He said, "That tells me that every conversation we're having in this country about policing and race, policing and violence, is uninformed."
The FBI director said the government cannot force local law enforcement agencies to submit each case to the agency's National Incident Based Reporting System.
He said being a voluntary process, many local law enforcement agencies don't have the funds to do what's needed.
But the FBI director said he is hoping Congress can help with the situation.