After the truck attack in New Orleans, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas warned of a very challenging threat landscape in an interview with ABC’s This Week on Sunday.
The growth of ISIS in the Middle East, which the New Orleans suspect identified as a motivation, was also mentioned by Republican Rep. Michael McCaul, the House Homeland Security Committee’s emeritus chairman.
Authorities said that 42-year-old Army veteran Shamsud-Din Jabbar crashed a pickup truck through a throng on New Orleans Bourbon Street on New Year’s Day, killing 14 people and injuring dozens more.
Before the murderous spree, the suspect, a Texas-born US Army veteran, made videos online expressing his support for ISIS and stating that he had joined the group earlier this summer, according to the FBI.
In addition to the ongoing threat of foreign terrorism, which naturally led to the establishment of the Department of Homeland Security, we also have hostile nation-states, and over the last ten years, we’ve witnessed a notable rise in what we refer to as “homegrown violent extremism,” Mayorkas told anchor George Stephanopoulos.
The threat picture is extremely complex, which is why not only the federal government but also state and municipal leaders and citizens must be vigilant and take the appropriate safety measures to prevent violence.
In order to ensure that the annual Sugar Bowl college football game in New Orleans could go safely after the incident, Mayorkas said his office worked with local law enforcement and implemented additional comprehensive safeguards.
Mayorkas maintained that the New Orleans attack had nothing to do with southern border issues, even though immigration was the department’s top priority.
According to him, the terrorist who carried out the New Orleans attack was born, reared, and served in our military in the United States. It has nothing to do with the border.
Mayorkas claimed he has had a conversation with President-elect Donald Trump’s choice for DHS secretary, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem.
I have had several conversations with Governor Noem regarding the terrible terrorist attack, including on New Year’s Day and right after, and we have discussed the actions we take in detail.
He continued, “I am totally committed to a seamless and successful transition to Governor Noem’s success, should she be confirmed as the Secretary of Homeland Security.”
ISIS’s resurgence in Afghanistan and Pakistan worries me a lot, McCaul, who also served as the chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said.
McCaul urged officials to monitor social media and make connections before these incidents occur, warning the Trump administration to be on the lookout for assaults by individuals who have grown radicalized online.
Actually, there are two kinds of threats to you. According to McCaul, one is operational, while the other is a radicalized attack motivated by the internet. To halt it, attention must be paid to each of them because they are equally deadly.
McCaul was also questioned about Trump’s handling of the war in Ukraine. Despite Trump’s pledge to swiftly end the war, several of McCaul’s Republican colleagues have questioned why the US is still supporting the nation in its conflict with Russia.
According to the congressman, Trump’s choice for the newly established post of envoy to Russia and Ukraine, former Army Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, feels that we cannot afford to lose Ukraine to Russia.
According to McCaul, that would be a terrible foreign policy choice that would put us in danger of losing to Russia and Ukraine and endangering Eastern Europe.
Russia’s threat is not limited to the region, McCaul said.
And it’s not only Putin, George, as I’ve said to my colleagues. Putin backs Chairman Xi of China, who is a danger to the Indo-Pacific area. Additionally, he supports the Middle Eastern ayatollahs who have threatened Israel.
They’re all on the same page. Additionally, he said that [North Korean leader] Kim Jong-un deployed 10,000 of his own soldiers to battle the Ukrainians.
According to McCaul, the Biden administration has not given Ukraine the power it needs to negotiate an agreement.
I think President Trump wants to negotiate a peaceful conclusion to the conflict. All of us are in favor of it, but it needs to be on conditions that do not unfairly single out Ukraine, he said.
The Budapest agreements, which demanded that they surrender all of their nuclear weapons in return for security assurances, threw them under the bus. You know what happened? None existed.
If an agreement is made, we also need to add teeth in the enforcement agreement so that, because Russia has surrendered all nuclear weapons, there will be repercussions if they invade again.
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Eliot Pierce is a dedicated writer for ChiefsFocus.com, covering local crime and finance news. With a keen eye for detail and a passion for storytelling, Eliot aims to provide his readers with clear and insightful analysis, helping them navigate the complexities of their financial lives while staying informed about important local events. His commitment to delivering accurate and engaging content makes him a valuable resource for the community.