New Domestic Terror Warning Cites Recent Mass Shootings, Upcoming Midterms and SCOTUS Decision on Abortion

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Following a string of mass shootings — and ahead of the November midterm elections — the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is warning of a growing domestic terror threat nationwide.

"In the coming months, DHS expects the threat environment to become more dynamic as several high-profile events could be exploited to justify acts of violence against a range of possible targets," the agency said in a bulletin that notes the nation's ongoing "heightened threat environment."

As the country braces for a Supreme Court decision on abortion, legislative decisions on potential new gun laws, public hearings on the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, and a fraught political season kicking into high gear, the DHS said possible targets include "public gatherings, faith-based institutions, schools, racial, ethnic, and religious minorities, government facilities and personnel, U.S. critical infrastructure, the media, and perceived ideological opponents."

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"The Department of Homeland Security remains steadfast in our commitment to provide timely information and resources to the American public and our partners across every level of government, in law enforcement, and in the private sector," DHS Sec. Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement Tuesday.

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Although the bulletin indicates that foreign adversaries, including international terrorist groups, remain a threat and might seek to exploit elevated domestic threats to "inspire violence, sow discord or undermine U.S. democratic institutions," the DHS said, "the primary threat of mass casualty violence in the United States stems from lone offenders and small groups motivated by a range of ideological beliefs and/or personal grievances."

The agency cited the shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, where a gunman killed 19 students and two adults; the racially motivated murder of 10 people at a Buffalo grocery store; and a May attack in Laguna Woods, Calif., which killed one person and injured five, at a church that serves the Taiwanese community.

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According to the bulletin, "individuals who advocate both for and against abortion have, on public forums, encouraged violence, including against government, religious, and reproductive healthcare personnel and facilities, as well as those with opposing ideologies."

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The approaching midterm elections "will likely increase" the threat of violence against "democratic institutions, political candidates, party offices, election events, and election workers," the DHS said.

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The agency also pointed to border security as an issue that could spark violence by domestic extremists who "have expressed grievances related to their perception that the U.S. government is unwilling or unable to secure the U.S.-Mexico border and have called for violence to stem the flow of undocumented migrants to the United States."

The terror advisory is set to expire on Nov. 30, about three weeks after Election Day.