“Our homeland continues to face a heightened threat environment —as we have seen, tragically, in recent acts of targeted violence— and is driven by violent extremists seeking to further a political or social goal or act on a grievance,” Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in a release announcing the warning.
People in racial and religious minorities, the LGBTQ community and the media could also become targets, as could “perceived ideological opponents” of threat actors.
“In the coming months, DHS expects the threat environment to remain heightened and threat actors could exploit several upcoming events to justify or commit acts of violence,” the DHS said, citing the recent mass shooting at an LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado Springs, Colo., and threats to the Jewish community in New Jersey.