New York, NY, August 5, 2019 …

According to data and research compiled by ADL’s Center on Extremism, the shooting that took place in El Paso, TX on Saturday August the 3rd, which resulted in 22 deaths, is the deadliest white supremacist attack in the United States in more than 50 years.

“The horrific events that took place in El Paso this weekend exposed something that has been building for years: white supremacy is a national security threat that demands a comprehensive and intense response that rivals the approach applied to countering other radical forms of violent extremism,” said ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt. “Just as the federal government mobilized to combat the threat posed by terrorist groups such as ISIS, we need to see that same energy applied to combating white supremacy, and we need to see it now.”

“We have no more time to waste. That is why ADL is calling on the White House today to fully engage the capabilities of the Department of Homeland Security, as well as the FBI and other law enforcement agencies, to devote more resources to analyzing domestic terrorism threats,” said Greenblatt.

ADL is calling on Congress to pass the Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act of 2019, which would authorize domestic terrorism offices and units in DHS, DOJ and the FBI, require federal law enforcement agencies to regularly assess right-wing extremist threats, and provide resources to assist state and local law enforcement to reduce these threats.

Along with the Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act, Congress must also take action on the Domestic Terrorism DATA Act, which focuses on increasing the coordination, accountability and transparency of the federal government in collecting and recording data on domestic terrorism, and the NO Hate Act – which seeks to improve local and state hate crime training, prevention, best practices, and data collection initiatives.