Gov. Greg Abbott directs DPS to bolster anti-terrorism efforts after New Orleans attack

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Gov. Greg Abbott outlined several directives to Texas’ Department of Public Safety on Tuesday that would boost efforts to combat “radical jihadist terrorism” in the wake of the New Orleans attack on New Year’s Day.

The statement from Abbott outlined 11 specific efforts for DPS to undertake, including bolstering pre-existing partnerships with federal agencies and expanding programs DPS provides in the state. The new measures come almost a week after a deadly attack in New Orleans in which a Houston man drove to the city in a rental truck and mowed down several people on Bourbon Street, killing 14 and injuring more than 30 others.

The suspect, Army veteran Shamsud-Din Jabbar, who was killed by law enforcement, pledged allegiance to terrorist group ISIS in videos he posted online before the attack.

Most of the directives outlined by the governor are aimed at increasing or expanding anti-terror resources already in place. Included in those efforts will be increased anti-terrorism task force operations with the FBI, which has field offices in Houston, Dallas, San Antonio and El Paso. The statement also said DPS will increase the number of intelligence analysts assigned to assist local jurisdictions with terroristic threats.

“Law enforcement at all levels must aggressively collaborate to eliminate radicalization that can lead to terrorist attacks,” Abbott said.

One directive states DPS will work with federal officials to identify potential threats among “special interest migrants” and claimed hundreds of people who entered the country illegally were on the federal government’s terrorist watch list. In 2017-2023, 293 non-U.S. citizens on the Terrorist Screening Dataset were detained across the southwest border, according to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, 169 of which were in 2023. The data available on CBP’s website does not clarify how many of those were within Texas’ portion of the border.

Republican lawmakers both in and out of Texas have long enmeshed criticisms of southern border security with concerns on foreign-based terrorism, renewed by Jabbar’s connection to ISIS. In 2016, Abbott claimed members of the terrorist organization were “running through the border” and blamed then-president Barack Obama.

In the hours immediately after the New Orleans attack, Fox News initially reported the truck Jabbar had rented recently crossed the Texas-Mexico border before the attack, prompting several Republicans including state Rep. Nate Schatzline, R-Fort Worth, to call for “secure borders.” Fox News later retracted the report, and officials confirmed the vehicle had crossed the border in November, prior to Jabbar’s renting.

The directive also indicated it would expand the Infrastructure Liaison Officer Program, which allows private security officials on how to receive training to collaborate with police and public safety officials. Currently the ILO program allows certification for those in certain fields to alert officials more easily to potential threats, and the governor’s office said it would provide additional certifications and coordination.

The statement did not clarify when any specific new program expansions would be implemented. Other policies the governor’s office outlined for DPS included assessing the vulnerability of the state Capitol to vehicle ramming attacks and partnering with local law enforcement for workshops and threat assessment strategies.