U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Homeland Security

06/12/2025 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 06/12/2025 13:42

ICYMI: Homeland Republicans Assess the Threat of Antisemitic, Anti-Israel Terrorism

WASHINGTON D.C. -This week, Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence Chairman August Pfluger (R-TX) held a hearing to examine the rising threat of antisemitic and anti-Israel terrorism in the United States, particularly following the recent attacks in Washington D.C., and Boulder, Colorado.

Witness testimony was provided by Kerry Sleeper, deputy director of intelligence and information sharing for the Secure Community Network (SCN); James Carafano, E.W. Richardson fellow at the Heritage Foundation; Oren Segal, senior vice president of counter-extremism and intelligence for the Anti-Defamation League (ADL); and Julie Fishman Rayman, senior vice president of policy and political affairs for the American Jewish Committee (AJC).

During the hearing, witnesses and members examined how extremist groups and foreign terrorist organizations have fueled antisemitic and anti-Israel violence since the October 7 attacks on Israel. They raised concerns about the threat posed by radicalized foreign nationals on U.S. soil, as well as by individuals and groups that provide material support for terrorist organizations. Additionally, they emphasized the critical role of Department of Homeland Security (DHS) fusion centers in enhancing information sharing across all levels of law enforcement to better protect our communities.

Last week, Homeland Republicans sent a letter to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem requesting information on the immigration status of Mohamed Sabry Soliman, the suspect in the Boulder terrorist attack.

In his opening statement, Subcommittee Chairman Pfluger outlined the threat:

"This hatred is not confined to dark corners of the internet or lone extremists. It is now showing up in our institutions-in places that should be safe and inclusive. Our schools and universities have become breeding grounds for antisemitism. Jewish students are being harassed, intimidated, and in some cases, physically attacked-often with little to no response from university leadership. This failure to act is not neutrality-it is complicity. Let me be absolutely clear: anyone who refuses to call out these hate-filled actors, who fails to condemn their vile actions loudly and unequivocally, is no longer a bystander-they are complicit. Silence and apathy in the face of antisemitism is not neutrality-it is permission. And it enables the hate to spread and the violence to escalate. We will no longer tolerate cowardice or indifference when Jewish lives are under threat."

In his opening statement, Sleeper gave an overview of the terror threat landscape, specifically the threats targeting the Jewish community:

"As recently as last week, our analysts have observed a notable increase from foreign terrorist organizations aligned media that appears to be doubling down on calls for attacks in the U.S. and Jewish targets. These groups appear to be coordinating efforts and amplifying shared narratives to encourage these acts of violence. These groups are evidently trying to take advantage of the morbid appeal of the recent attacks in D.C. and Boulder by violent extremists to incite followers to commit additional violent acts in retribution for the ongoing war in Gaza. These violent trends are fueled by a persistent ecosystem of anti-Israeli networks operating in the U.S .and online groups, such as the Students for Justice in Palestine within our lifetime, Unity of Fields, and online propaganda hubs, such as the emerging ISNAD network, consistently amplify messaging aligned with foreign terrorist organizations and Iranian-backed information operations. While not all are directly tied to designated foreign terrorist organizations, they help blur the lines between protest and incitement, justifying, glorifying, and promoting violence against the Jewish Israeli community in the name of Gaza."

In his opening statement, Segal described the heightened threat environment around antisemitic attacks:

"These attacks have been justified, celebrated, and normalized by groups operating on American soil, as well as across digital platforms. They fuel an environment where targeted attacks against the Jewish community have become increasingly likely. While the grievances driving the violence are often framed as opposition to Israel, they frequently include expressions dehumanizing Jews and Zionists, and they also include support for terror groups. When Jews are blamed for the policies of the state of Israel, it's not only anti-Semitic, it is dangerous. And let me be crystal clear--criticism of Israel or its policies is not antisemitism. Mere criticism does not factor into our data, but when Jewish individuals and institutions are targeted with protests, vandalism, harassment, and violence--that is classic antisemitism. And that type of hate has been a driving force behind the surge of incidents we have documented in the U.S., especially since the October 7th massacre by Hamas."

In his opening statement, Dr. Carafano gave recommendations on how to counter antisemitic attacks:

"I just want to focus on what I think are the two really important buckets, that if we get nothing right in this between the Congress and the administration, that these are the ones that they have to get right. And the first one is you have to put maximum effort into the investigatory actions of material support and related criminal activity like RICO crimes and organized support for public violence at the federal, state, and local level. And the real sweet spot is connecting the three of those together to maximize the benefits of each of them… The second area is cutting one of the most vital sinews in the connection between material support and violent action and that is terrorist travel… Border and immigration enforcement deportations, denial and revocation of visas-I think all of these are absolutely critical support for this."

Chairman Pfluger asked Dr. Carafano whether foreign nationals that harass the Jewish community in the name of radical ideologies should remain on U.S. soil to which he answered:

"If you are here on a visa as a student or as a professional, and you are promoting extremist ideas in the United States--you're a guest of the United States, and it's very clear under U.S. legal authority that if you violate the terms of your stay in the United States, you should be removed from the United States. If you want to come to the United States and you have a track record of extremist violent statements that the U.S. government disqualifies you from entering the United States, you should be denied entry to the United States."

Rep. Gabe Evans (R-CO) asked how fusion centers can be used to counter antisemitic and anti-Israel threats:

"How can federal policy strengthen the original mission of fusion centers by equipping them with the tools to detect and respond to these antisemitic or other to threats, and what does that look like in terms of threat reporting?"

Sleeper answered:

"Fusion centers play an absolutely critical role in sharing threat information, timely threat information across our domestic intelligence architecture. SCN leverages fusion centers every day we work. When we identify a threat to life, we include fusion centers to ensure that there's redundancy in sharing that information. As we look ahead and we develop a strategy to mitigate targeted violent threats against the Jewish community, the intelligence component is absolutely essential. We need to understand what our adversaries are doing. Much of the discussions we're having today are defensive. What can we do to protect this? Until we get to the point [that] we understand what our adversaries are trying to do, what they're targeting, and incorporating the fusion centers, working in conjunction with the intelligence community, federal, state, and local law enforcement, then we will have a seamless perspective on information being shared specifically to this threat."

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