Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas warned in an interview on ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday that the “threat landscape is very difficult.” New Orleans truck attack
And Republican Rep. Michael McCaul, chairman emeritus of the House Homeland Security Committee, pointed to the resurgence of ISIS in the Middle East, which he said was inspired by the extremist group New Orleans suspected.
Earlier in the year, 14 people were killed and dozens injured after Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a 42-year-old Army veteran, drove a pickup truck through a crowd on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, authorities said. The suspect, a U.S. Army veteran born in Texas, posted the videos online before “pro-ISIS advocacy,” according to the FBI.
“In addition to the persistent threat of foreign terrorism, which created the Department of Homeland Security, we also have harmful nation states, and over the last 10 years, we’ve seen a significant increase. We call it ‘homegrown violent extremism,'” Mayorkas told anchor George Stephanopoulos. “It’s a very difficult threat landscape, and that’s why as a community — not just the federal government, but state and local officials and residents — we need to be vigilant and take the necessary steps to prevent violence from happening.”
Mayorkas said his office worked with local law enforcement and “took extra measures” to ensure the annual Sugar Bowl college football game in New Orleans could continue safely after the attack.
Although immigration is the “biggest responsibility” of the department, Mayorkas emphasized that the attack in New Orleans has nothing to do with the problems on the southern border.
“The attacker who carried out the terrorist attack in New Orleans was born in United StatesHe grew up in the United States and served in our armed forces,” he said. “It’s not a border issue.”
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Nicholas Mayorkas and Rep. Michael McCaul appear on ABC News’ “This Week with George Stephanopoulos” on January 5, 2025.
ABC News
Mayorkas said he has been in contact with South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, President-elect Donald Trump’s DHS secretary.
“I’ve spoken with Governor Noem several times since and immediately after New Year’s Day about the terrorist attack, and we’ve talked meaningfully about the steps we’re taking, and I’m incredibly dedicated to a successful transition for Governor Noem, should he be confirmed as secretary of Homeland Security,” he said.
McCaul, who also served as chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said the resurgence of ISIS in Afghanistan and Pakistan “concerns me greatly.”
McCaul advised the Trump administration to be wary of attacks by those who are radicalized online, urging officials to “pay attention to social media and connect the dots before these events happen.”
“You really have two types of threats. One is operational, the other is radicalized inspired attacks over the internet,” McCaul said. “Both are equally deadly, and they must pay attention to stop them.”
McCaul was also asked about the war in Ukraine and how Trump hopes to deal with it. Some of McCaul’s Republican colleagues have questioned US support for the country as it battles Russia and Trump has promised a swift end to the war.
The congressman said retired Army Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, Trump’s pick for the newly created post of envoy to Ukraine and Russia, “believes we cannot lose Ukraine to Russia.”
“It would be a terrible foreign policy decision that would put us in a position to lose against Russia and Ukraine and threaten Eastern Europe,” McCaul said.
McCaul said the threat from Russia extends beyond the region.
“And the fact is, George, I can’t overemphasize, as I have with my colleagues, it’s not just Putin. Putin is joining President Xi in China, who is threatening the Indo-Pacific. He’s also joined the Ayatollah. What we’ve seen in the Middle East is threatening Israel. They are doing. And (the North Korean leader) has sent 10,000 of his troops to fight against Ukraine,” he said.
McCaul said he believes Ukraine needs more “leverage” to negotiate a deal than the Biden administration has provided.
“I think President Trump wants to end the war, to have a peaceful negotiation. We are all in favor of that, but it must be under conditions that do not throw Ukraine under the bus,” he said. “They were thrown under the bus in the Budapest accords, where they gave up all nuclear weapons as a security guarantee. And guess what happened? There wasn’t one. And if there’s no deal, we have to have teeth in that enforcement deal. , like invading Russia again if there is, there will be consequences because they left all nuclear weapons.”
