Congressman Renews Call For Increased
Awareness of Domestic Terror Threats
Cites tragic Las Vegas shooting in letters to Homeland Security officials
WASHINGTON, DC – Following the tragic shooting in Las Vegas, U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-09), an original member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, wrote to U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Jeh Johnson urging DHS to renew their efforts to monitor and counter the threat of domestic extremism. In a separate letter, Rep. Pascrell urged House Committee on Homeland Security leadership to conduct oversight hearings into the ongoing threat of domestic terrorism.
“It is critical that the Department devote resources to monitoring domestic threats to prevent future tragedies,” Rep. Pascrell wrote. “The Homeland Security Committee has a role to play in ensuring that the threat of domestic extremism is understood, and that the federal government provides state and local law enforcement agencies the information and resources they need to identify and respond to these threats.”
In 2009, DHS identified the threat of domestic extremism in its report “Right-wing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment,” which DHS ultimately withdrew amid intense criticism.
The tragic shooting in Las Vegas is just the latest in a series of attacks carried out by domestic extremists, which include a shooting which took three lives at two Jewish centers near Kansas City in April and an attack which resulted in seven deaths at a Sikh temple in Oak Creek Wisconsin in 2012.
Office of Congressman Pascrell