Expert Discusses How The Shutdown Impacts Homeland Security And More
A public safety expert is warning that the ongoing partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security could hamper the federal government’s ability to respond quickly to potential terror threats inside the United…
A public safety expert is warning that the ongoing partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security could hamper the federal government’s ability to respond quickly to potential terror threats inside the United States — especially as tensions with Iran rapidly escalate.
Jeffrey Halstead, a retired police chief in Fort Worth, Texas, and former Homeland Security commander for the Phoenix Police Department, said global conflicts have historically increased the likelihood of extremist activity targeting Americans.
Speaking with Fox News Digital, Halstead warned that the current conflict in the Middle East could encourage fringe terrorist actors or radicalized individuals to act.
“We’ve seen historically that any time there is a conflict, especially in the Middle East with escalating tensions, military action and now a declaration of war, there is a significant impact,” Halstead said. “It escalates the mindset of some of these outlying or outlier terrorist entities.”
Halstead said the situation becomes even more concerning when federal agencies responsible for coordinating national security efforts are hampered by a funding dispute.
“With the current Department of Homeland Security shutdown, if something were to occur here in the United States, there could be some significant delays,” he explained. “FEMA and other very, very critical divisions of the federal government are basically shut down.”
The warning comes as authorities continue investigating a deadly shooting in Austin, Texas, that may have ties to extremist motivations.
The attack occurred early Sunday morning at a bar in downtown Austin, leaving two people dead and 14 others injured. The suspect, identified as 53-year-old Ndiaga Diagne — a naturalized U.S. citizen originally from Senegal — was also killed.
Investigators say the suspect appeared to be wearing a sweatshirt that read “Property of Allah” along with an undershirt displaying the Iranian flag. Authorities later recovered a Quran from his vehicle, while an Iranian flag and images of Iranian regime leaders were reportedly found at his residence.