Democrats on Friday downplayed the growing foreign threat during questioning of Kristi Noem, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), instead focusing on white supremacists and other domestic threats. repeatedly mentioned extremists.
During Noem’s confirmation hearing, lawmakers suggested that extremists living in the United States were the most persistent terrorist threat to the United States. DHS latest information Homeland threat assessment has not issued such a statement, instead emphasizing the “evolving” and “dynamic” threat posed by “domestic and foreign violent extremists” such as those caused by wars in the Middle East.
“Both the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI have consistently stated that the most persistent threat to the homeland comes from U.S.-based individuals or groups radicalized by ideologies ranging from white supremacy to ISIS to al-Qaeda. We have consistently said it depends on size groups,” said Senate Homeland Security Ranking Member Gary Peters. Democrat from Michigan. Peters asked Noem, “How would you deal with the threat of U.S.-based terrorists?”
Noem said illegal immigration is the “greatest threat to homeland security,” adding that illegal border crossers have been added to the FBI’s terror watch list “since Joe Biden became president.”
“But we also need to focus on domestic terrorism and homegrown terrorism. [which are] It’s on the rise,” Noem added. As an example, she cited the New Year’s Day attack in New Orleans by Shamsud Din Jabbar, an American citizen who hit 15 people with a truck in the name of ISIS and was killed by police.
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“Domestic violent extremism is the most deadly and persistent threat to our nation’s security,” said Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, who highlighted recent white supremacist attacks. . (Related: Dem Sen wants Kristi Noem to ‘put aside’ concerns about Biden administration’s role in losing track of ‘300,000’ children)
DHS’s 2025 Homeland Threat Assessment; Published in Octobercited the 2024 election, the conflict between Israel and Hamas, and illegal border crossings as factors that put Americans at risk of terrorist attacks.
“This year, we are concerned about domestic sociopolitical developments, particularly the response of violent extremists to the 2024 election cycle and the concerns that domestic and international violent extremists will use to justify or encourage attacks on the homeland. “We are particularly concerned about a confluence of factors, including likely international events,” the report’s foreword said.
FBI Director Christopher Wray testified Last April, he issued a statement in the House of Commons saying that the “foreign terrorist threat” had risen “to a whole other level” as his enemies took inspiration from Hamas’ war against Israel.
Last March, border guards captured an illegal immigrant who said he was a member of the Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah and had come “to make bombs.” The remarks came months after Biden’s own agency warned that Islamist groups could exploit the porous situation at the U.S. border.
Peters questioned concerns about immigrants being included on terrorist watch lists after Republican senators repeatedly mentioned the issue with other border security issues.
“I’ve heard a lot of numbers being thrown around here, and I don’t have the time to look at those numbers and dispute them,” Peters said before asking Noem a second question. . “Some of them don’t even know where they’re from.”
Blumenthal said that even though “there’s a lot of attention on the border” and “everyone wants to tighten border security”, “we shouldn’t take our eye off the ball” when it comes to domestic extremism. spoke.
Noem currently serves as the governor of South Dakota.
Mr. Peters and Mr. Blumenthal’s offices did not respond to requests for comment.
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