Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly on Thursday said he has asked the department’s Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (OCRCL) to reach out to the communities that have been subject to hate threats and attacks in recent weeks.
“Over the past few weeks, our country has seen an unacceptable and disturbing rise in the number of apparent hate-inspired attacks and harassment against individuals and communities,” Kelly said in a statement released Thursday evening. “I strongly condemn any violent acts to perpetuate fear and intimidation not only against individuals, but entire communities.”
Kelly pledged the full support of his agency and promised to increase its outreach to groups who have been affected by these acts. In response, OCRCL will hold Incident Communication Coordination Team calls with relevant communities and work with foreign governments whose nationals were affected by threats or acts of violence, he said.
A fourth Jewish cemetery was vandalized over the weekend. Approximately 140 Jewish Community Centers wrote a letter to Attorney General Jeff Sessions this week saying they were “frustrated” about his slow response to continued threats against the centers.
Kelly said the hateful acts have no place in a country that “has a history of welcoming and accepting individuals regardless of religion, race, ethnicity, or national origin.”
“Freedom of religion is a cherished American value, guaranteed by the United States Constitution. DHS is committed to protecting all people’s right to that essential freedom,” Kelly said.
Some Democrats have criticized President Trump’s executive orders on immigration, one that addressed the southwestern border and another that temporarily suspended it from several countries in the Middle East. The actions have been decried as racist and discriminating based on religion since the travel ban affected Muslim-majority nations.
