U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-08), an original member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, today released the following statement in response to yesterday's shooting at a Sikh temple in suburban Milwaukee:

“This weekend’s attack is a national tragedy, not only for my brothers and sisters in the Sikh-American community, but for all Americans.  A terrorist attack perpetrated against one group of Americans is an attack on all of us.  In recent years, the Sikh-American community has often been a target for attacks by those ignorant of the peaceful religion’s history and the contributions Sikh-Americans have made to our society for generations.  Now is the time for us to come together as one people to celebrate the diversity of our culture and overcome the elements of hate that would seek to divide us.

As much as we worry about and prepare for terrorist attacks coming from abroad, yesterday’s events are a reminder that we must be continually vigilant of terrorists at home.  While we don’t yet know all the facts, the Department of Homeland Security has long warned of the risks of right wing terrorism here in the United States.  This attack is a wakeup call that these threats are still out there, and we must do everything we can as a nation to prepare and protect against them.”

The following is a link to a report released last year by the Department of Homeland Security on rightwing extremism:

https://www.splcenter.org/sites/default/files/downloads/resource/DOJ_rwextremism2009.pdf

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