The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has remained unfunded since February 14 due to a dispute over Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activities, leaving critical border security operations in limbo.
In the past ten days, multiple terrorist incidents have occurred across the United States. Two young men from Pennsylvania, Emir Balat and Ibrahim Kayumi, hurled improvised explosive devices at a demonstration near New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s Gracie Mansion residence. The pair were arraigned on charges of attempting to provide material support to a terrorist organization and using a weapon of mass destruction.
Kyle Najm Chris, also known as Muhi Mohanad Najm, entered a Spring, Texas elementary school by slipping through an unsecured door, wearing tactical gear including a load-bearing vest, a taser, and a holstered firearm. He was charged with possession of a prohibited weapon, a third-degree felony.
Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, a 41-year-old Lebanese-born U.S. citizen from Dearborn Heights, Michigan, drove a truck containing a rifle, commercial-grade fireworks, and gasoline toward Temple Israel synagogue in West Bloomfield Township before firing shots through his windshield at armed security guards. During the exchange, Ghazali died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.
Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, a naturalized U.S. citizen originally from Sierra Leone, entered an Old Dominion University ROTC classroom and opened fire, killing Army Lieutenant Colonel Brandon Shah, leader of the university’s ROTC program. Jalloh injured two others before students subdued him. In 2016, Jalloh was sentenced to an 11-year prison term for providing material support to ISIS and was released early in 2024.
DHS employees have continued working without pay or partial pay during the shutdown, prompting Denver International Airport to request public donations for food and gas gift cards. The airport has posted on social media: “DONATIONS NEEDED! Support TSA employees by donating $10 and $20 grocery store and gas gift cards.”
George Washington University Law Professor Jonathan Turley observed: “As Democrats continue to block funding for the TSA during a fight with the leading state sponsor of terrorism, airports are collecting donations to help federal employees buy food for their families. Yet, these senators continue to receive their salaries while expecting Coast Guard, DHS, and TSA workers to put their lives on the line for their protection.”
