Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security Pamela J. Turner wrote to Rep. Tom Tancredo (R.-Colo.) on September 7, responding to his inquiry about how many "Special Interest Aliens" had been apprehended trying to illegally cross the U.S. border since September 11. ("Special Interest Aliens" are those who would have to undergo intensified security checks if they sought legal entry to the United States.) It turns out, 223 such aliens have been caught trying to enter from Mexico, 225 from Canada.