A nearly 11-month investigation by the Department of Homeland Security into domestic violence (DVE) in its ranks revealed four cases of active participation or support of violent extremist activity among employees in the service since 2019.
But the report also revealed that the government arm responsible for monitoring terrorist threats to the homeland “has not adopted a valid definition of ‘domestic violent extremist’ that can be incorporated ‘into DHS policies and guidance.”
The investigation, led by DHS’s Internal Review Team for Domestic Violence Extremism, found that the Department has “significant gaps” that impede its ability to “prevent, detect and respond to” potential DVE threats within DHS. These gaps – including the lack of workforce training to detect and report such activity – likely affected DHS’s accounting, according to an assessment released by the working group on Friday.
“I was shocked by the findings because the findings revealed significant gaps in the department’s ability to detect and respond to domestic violence,” Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mallorca told CBS News in an exclusive interview Friday.
“At the same time, I very much appreciate the value of the investigative process in bringing these loopholes and these disturbing news to the surface, so that we know exactly what we need to do to form good government, to ensure its honor and integrity, and to “Protect those who do not feel safe in the workplace.”
Four incidents of “active participation or support of domestic extremist activity”
The initial investigation of the working group identified 35 complaints of potentially violent extremist activity between October 2018 and July 2021 in the ranks of the department, which has more than 250,000 employees.
The investigators eventually identified only four cases involving “active participation or support of violent extremist activity”, while the other 31 allegations were found to be unfounded or incorrectly categorized.
Both the report and Mayorkas did not say whether any DHS staff visited the US Capitol on January 6 or belonged to well-known extremist groups such as the Proud Boys, Oathkeepers or Three Percenters.
But among the four identified was former Coast Guard lieutenant Christopher Hasson, who was accused of compiling a list of democratic politicians and media personalities in February 2019. The self-proclaimed “for years later White Nationalist” 13 years in prison after agents discovered several firearms, including a silencer and hundreds of cartridges in his home.
The revelation of such a deep extremism within the US Coast Guard, which is under the jurisdiction of DHS, triggered a strategy bulletin for September 2019 issued by the then incumbent DHS Secretary Kevin McAleenan.
In the years leading up to the Capitol Uprising, DHS faced increasing pressure to recognize and address the emerging threat of domestic extremism. But Friday’s research also revealed a lack of funding to support the expansion of DHS’s Insider Threat program – its current tool for “managing confidential information threats” – and related training programs.
Mayorkas first announced the investigation last April, more than two months after Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin issued a throughout the service, 60 days “stand down” within the US military. At least 82 current or former military personnel have been arrested in connection with the attack on the Capitol on 6 January. About 100 active military took part in banned extremist activity in 2021, Pentagon officials saidfrom the “low digits” of previous years.
Eliminate extremist threats within DHS
When the task force examined DHS data, it found that the department and its data did not specifically track complaints of domestic violence, choosing instead to file complaints in other subcategories, such as “workplace violence.” Investigations into allegations of violent extremist activity often involved several departments, making it unclear who was responsible for the surveillance.
Friday’s report failed to identify specific extremist groups, but categorized the allegations into the following categories:
- racial or ethnic motives domestic violence extremism
- Animal rights / Domestic violent environmental extremism
- domestic violence-related abortion associated with abortion
- violent domestic extremism against government / anti-government \
- all other domestic terrorism-related threats
In total, the team issued 15 recommendations aimed at protecting DHS employees and establishing a standard for eliminating extremist threats, starting with the implementation of a policy to detect, prevent and address violent extremist activities within DHS.
The investigators recommended the creation of a single reporting center for those wishing to file a DVE complaint.
“A single definition” of domestic violence
Considering whether all DHS employees – including federal law enforcement officers in the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol, the U.S. Department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Federal Security Service – should be treated in the same way under his new policy, Mayorkas said the future of DHS ratings “could very well” consider the role of an employee.
“This requires a legal analysis,” Mallorca said. “That’s why we need to establish basic policies and guidance.”
Unlike the Department of Defense, which operates on the basis of a chain of command culture, elements of the DHS federal bureaucracy typically operate autonomously. However, creating a definition of domestic violence is already under way, along with updated employee training modules and guides that leaders should follow when discussing violent extremism.
“There will be a single definition that will guide this department,” Mallorcas said.
He acknowledged the challenges of policing extremist activities while safeguarding the rights of workers in the First Amendment, but said “not all speech is necessarily protected”.
“If the views expressed by an individual raise a question about the integrity and objectivity with which he fulfills his responsibilities, then this may be an issue,” said the mayor.
Last year, US Customs and Border Protection identified 60 cases of misconduct after a sweeping search for common explicit and violent messages on secret Facebook pages, though only two were eventually fired.
Moving forward, the recommendations in Friday’s report will not cover the 48,000 Coast Guard members assigned to DHS, but will be considered separately from the Pentagon’s assessment of domestic violence.
The working group instructed DHS to establish rules and guidelines for its approximately 170,000 contractors, noting that “special attention should be paid to the control of this large population, which has direct authorized access to DHS assets”, including all from migrant detention facilities to biometric equipment.
The DHS Security Bureau has led the working group and continues to operate as its headquarters, although Mayorkas stressed that the responsibility for implementing the future protocol will rest with the elements “at every level of the oversight chain and, ultimately, with me.” .
Ellee Watson and Rob Legare contributed to this report.
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