The House Committee on Homeland Security's hearing on December 11, 2025, titled "Worldwide Threats to the Homeland," provided a sobering update on escalating risks to the United States. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, NCTC Director Joe Kent, and FBI National Security Branch Operations Director Michael Glasheen delivered testimony highlighting terrorism, border vulnerabilities, foreign adversaries, and emerging threats like unmanned aircraft systems (UAS).
A standout moment came from NCTC Director Joe Kent, who identified the domestic influx of known or suspected terrorists as the nation's top terrorist threat. Kent revealed that approximately 18,000 individuals with ties to jihadist groups—primarily ISIS and al-Qaeda—entered the U.S. during the prior administration's open-border policies. This includes about 2,000 Afghans admitted under Operation Allies Welcome with documented terrorist connections.
Recent attacks underscore these vetting failures: an Afghan entrant's shooting of National Guardsmen in Washington, D.C.; a New Year's Eve truck assault in New Orleans killing 15; and a Chicago stabbing by a Mauritanian asylum seeker. Lone actors radicalized on-line, including juveniles, remain a core extremist risk. Globally, ISIS and al-Qaeda affiliates are expanding in Africa, while Iran-backed proxies like Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis retain capabilities.
ISIS and al-Qaeda Active Threats
NCTC Director Kent’s written testimony, included as part of the hearing record (all three in one PDF), underscores that traditional jihadi extremist groups such as ISIS and al-Qaeda remain active threats. However, the landscape has expanded to include terrorist gangs, cartel networks, and hybrid adversaries that traffic drugs and humans while supporting extremist violence.
Kent and Glasheen also confirmed Iran's ongoing plots against U.S. officials, including a foiled 2024 assassination attempt on President Trump, plus surveillance of Jewish and Israeli targets amid regional conflicts.
In response, the Trump administration has launched a "triage phase" with enhanced intelligence fusion, joint task forces, watchlist expansions, and visa reassessments from 19+ high-risk countries. These measures aim to locate and deport threats, backed by reinstated travel bans on over 30 nations.
Border and Transnational Crime Threats
The hearing positioned cartel and gang activity as a strategic homeland threat, not merely a criminal issue. DHS warned that fentanyl poisoning continues to kill tens of thousands of Americans and that cartels remain adaptive—shifting tactics, finance, and smuggling methods to evade enforcement. NCTC explicitly framed the cartel problem in counterterrorism terms, noting that recent foreign terrorist organization designations expand the CT enterprise’s ability to apply resources and watchlisting against these networks.
Since January, Homeland Security Task Forces have conducted 37,000 operations, leading to 38,000 arrests and seizures of 92 tons of narcotics in September alone. At least two Executive Orders (14161, 14163, 14218) have overhauled vetting and halted benefits for risky entrants, with calls for border wall completion and zero-tolerance enforcement.
Emerging and Adversary Threats
Witnesses warned of rapidly growing UAS risks—cheap, available drones ideal for surveillance or payloads—especially ahead of 2026 events like the FIFA World Cup and the nation's 250th anniversary.
Testimony also addressed cyber threats facing the nation. FBI Operations Director Michael Glasheen reaffirmed China as the most predominant cyber threat to the United States, consistent with longstanding intelligence assessments. Ransomware attacks have risen 12% in the last year, while North Korea continues to fund regime programs via crypto scams.
The Worldwide Threats hearing laid bare a multifaceted and escalating danger to American security, from embedded jihadist threats and cartel-fueled chaos to emerging drone risks and state-sponsored cyber intrusions. NCTC Director Kent's revelation of approximately 18,000 known or suspected terrorists admitted under prior lax policies underscores the urgent need for reversal.
Under President Trump's decisive "Get it done" leadership style—bolstered by enhanced intelligence sharing, multi-agency task forces, and rigorous enforcement—the administration is actively locating and neutralizing these risks through targeted arrests and mass deportations, restoring border integrity, and prioritizing the safety of American citizens. |
