By Steve Neavling
Democrats in Congress are urging the Department of Homeland Security to detail how the agency has handled domestic extremists within its ranks following reports that found more than 300 current or former DHS employees were members of the right-wing Oath Keepers group.
Another report also found that CBP employees worked with conservative militia groups on the border with Mexico.
In a letter to DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, more than 65 congressional Democrats asked what actions have been “taken to weed out extremists within your ranks.”
“While we commend your commitment to identifying and combatting domestic violent extremism within the Department of Homeland Security’s workforce, we write to you today calling for an update on the steps and actions you have taken to weed out extremists within your ranks,” the lawmakers wrote in the letter.
The letter comes more than two years after Mayorkas initiated an internal review aimed at addressing potential threats posed by employees in agencies that include the Secret Service, TSA, and ICE.
In March 2022, DHS officials discovered the agency had “significant gaps that have impeded its ability to comprehensively prevent, detect, and respond to potential threats related to domestic violent extremism within DHS.”
In the letter, Democrats asked about the status of the DHS initiative and cites an internal report by the FBI that found white supremacists actively sought out relationships with law enforcement to gain tactical knowledge.
“Violent extremist groups and leaders, such as white supremacists and anti-government extremists, have been explicit about their desire to recruit current and former law enforcement personnel,” the lawmakers wrote.
“It is clear that the issue of extremists infiltrating federal law enforcement is a persistent and clear threat to the rule of law and national security, and urgent action is needed to root out domestic violent extremists from federal law enforcement agencies.”
