Norton Gets Answers on D.C. Security at Briefing with DHS and FBI Leaders Following Paris Attacks

Press Release

Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) last night at a classified national security briefing for Members of the House with Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Jeh Johnson, Federal Bureau Investigation (FBI) Director James Comey, and officials from Departments of Defense and State asked several questions regarding security in the District of Columbia in the wake of the terrorist attacks in Paris. Norton verified that the District has been named as a target city by ISIL since the Paris attacks.

"Although there still is no credible threat against the District, all necessary precautions are being taken by security agencies," Norton said. "The District has been a target since 9/11, and we were not hit even then. This capital city has the full array of federal protections and more federal police forces than any city in our country. It would be a mistake to succumb to the threats and change our ordinary routines, which would give ISIL the satisfaction of terrorism by threat."

On further questioning by Norton, officials responded that ISIL is less likely to try and send foreign fighters to the United States to conduct terrorist attacks, as al-Qaeda did on 9/11. Instead, ISIL's strategy has been to galvanize support with sympathizers already in a country with propaganda and to incite violence through lone wolf attacks. However, Norton said security officials added that Syrian refugees arriving in the U.S. have overwhelmingly been women and children, with only 2% men, and almost all have relatives living in the U.S. Any new refugees from Syria or elsewhere in the Middle East are subject to a comprehensive vetting process that can take up to two years.

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