Napolitano said that it “is inaccurate to state, as too many have, that the border is overrun with violence and out of control.”

“This statement—often made only to score political points—is just plain wrong,” Napolitano said. “Not only does it ignore all of the statistical evidence, it also belittles the significant progress that effective law enforcement has made to protect this border and the people who live alongside it.”

Napolitano’s comments follow criticism from Arizona’s Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu, who was named Sheriff of the Year last week by the National Sheriff’s Association.

In a telephone interview with CNSNews.com on Friday, Babeu said Napolitano – with her upbeat assessments of border security – is “divorced from reality.”

“Why does she keep trying to convince us through argument that everything is just fine to the point that she’s trying to hypnotize us into believing this crap?” Babeu asked.

In her speech on Monday, Napolitano seemed to address Babeu and his supporters directly:
“We need to be up front and clear about what’s really happening along our borders. Our border communities are safe,” Napolitano said.