U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-09), an original member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, today released the following statement in response to yesterday's shooting at a Jewish community center in Kansas City:

"I'm deeply saddened to learn of this senseless act of violence, made even more heartbreaking as it occurred on the eve of Passover. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families and victims of this devastating tragedy.  Unfortunately, this is part of a malicious pattern of violence perpetrated against religious institutions by extremists seeking to divide America. These include a mass shooting at a Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, a security guard tragically killed at the Holocaust Museum in Washington by a white supremacist, and a string of anti-Semitic hate crimes targeting synagogues right here in Bergen County.

"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 pattern is why I have vigorously championed funding for DHS's Nonprofit Security Grant Program, which helps protect non-profits, such as houses of worship, from terrorism and hate crimes. 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."

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