US-Canada border eyed as vulnerability by China, Russia, says Patel: 'The enemy adapts'

"The enemy adapts," Patel said.

Patel's comments come as Trump has overseen a dramatic shift at the U.S. southern border since taking office in January, with the number of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) recorded encounters plummeting by 90% in most sectors compared to the same time period last year.

That shift has been aided by deployments of thousands of U.S. military troops to the border, who have assisted CBP agents with everything from reinforcing barriers to surveillance of potential illegal crossers.

The sudden silence at the southern border comes after record-setting numbers of illegal crossings during the four years of the Biden administration, a trend that also saw a dramatic increase in attempted crossings from immigrants outside of North and Latin America.

Overall, Patel told lawmakers that between 2022 and 2025, roughly 178,000 Chinese nationals attempted to cross the southern border.

Patel warned that the new security of the southern border could now open up threats to the north, arguing that U.S. adversaries will use the same tactics they previously used on sectors not receiving as much security attention.

The FBI did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.