Sebastian Gorka, the incoming senior director for counterterrorism under the Trump administration, called for tightened border security and decisive action against domestic and foreign jihadist threats following the deadly New Orleans attack claiming 14 lives on New Year's Day.
Speaking Monday on Newsmax's "Rob Schmitt Tonight," Gorka linked the tragedy to what he described as a failure in border security.
"Let me reinforce what President [-elect Donald] Trump said after the New Orleans attack, that this is linked to open borders," Gorka stated.
He referred to comments by Stephen Miller, a key architect of Trump's immigration policies, who supported the connection between the attack and border vulnerabilities. "It's irrelevant whether or not the terrorist was born and raised in America. Global jihadi ideology didn't originate in America. It didn't come out of the soil of Texas or Maryland," Gorka said.
The attack, carried out by 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar from Texas, was declared an act of terrorism by the FBI. Jabbar drove a truck flying an ISIS flag into a crowd of revelers on Bourbon Street, killing 14 people and injuring dozens more before being killed in a shootout with police, CBS News reported.
Gorka argued that the ideological roots of such attacks underscore the need for robust security measures.
"Jihadism comes from abroad, and we have to deal with it by sealing the border, finding the terrorists who have either been indoctrinated domestically or let into the country by [Vice President] Kamala Harris, neutralize them, remove them from the country, and protect all Americans," he said.
"Whether or not you voted for President Trump, we want you to be safe. And that starts at 12:01 in 14 days," Gorka said, referring to the upcoming inauguration day.
Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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