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FIRST ON FOX: A bipartisan group of lawmakers from the House Homeland Security Committee is visiting Ground Zero in New York City to commemorate the 24th anniversary of 9/11 on Thursday, Fox News Digital has learned.
New York remains in terrorism’s crosshairs, and members from the House Homeland Security Committee have sounded the alarm on potential threats the U.S. continues to face – especially as the U.S. gears up to host upcoming large-scale events like the FIFA World Cup next year.
Rep. Andrew Garbarino, R-N.Y., chair of the House Homeland Security Committee, will lead a cohort of lawmakers on the committee to visit Ground Zero on Thursday, according to a committee aide. The lawmakers are also slated to lay flowers at the memorial before thanking first responders, and also participate in a staff-led tour of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum on Thursday evening.
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“Twenty-four years later, it’s critical to remember that [the Department of Homeland Security] and the Committee on Homeland Security were created in the aftermath of one of the darkest days in our nation’s history,” Garbarino said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “As a lifelong New Yorker and a proud Long Islander, ‘Never Forget’ is about more than remembrance; it is a call to action that guides my work every day, and it will continue to guide the Committee’s.”
“More than two decades later, our nation still faces heightened and evolving threats from foreign terrorist organizations and homegrown violent extremists, and New York remains a top terror target,” Garbarino said.
The Justice Department’s research and technology agency, the National Institute of Justice, determined in 2023 that New York City had the highest number of attempted or actual terror incidents in the country.
Members of the committee have spearheaded legislation seeking to address these persistent terrorist threats. For example, Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, reintroduced legislation in February known as the Countering Online Radicalization and Terrorism Act, which would require DHS to conduct assessments each year evaluating the threat terrorist groups like ISIS and Hamas pose to the U.S. through the use of foreign cloud-based mobile or desktop messaging applications.
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Other lawmakers from the committee expected to attend the site visit to Ground Zero are the committee’s top Democrat, Bennie Thompson from Mississippi, as well as Reps. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, Ryan Mackenzie, R-Pa., LaMonica McIver, D-N.J., Tim Kennedy, D-N.Y., and Puerto Rico’s resident commissioner, Pablo José Hernández.
A bipartisan group of committee members will also visit the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, where the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be held. Members from the White House’s FIFA World Cup Task Force, including New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s son, Andrew Giuliani, will also join the lawmakers to examine security preparations for the event, according to a committee aide. Andrew Giuliani is leading the White House’s task force.
President Donald Trump will mark the 24th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks at the Pentagon by delivering remarks at the annual observance ceremony. He will also attend a private memorial led by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine honoring the 184 victims.
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DHS is coordinating securing the games for the World Cup, along with other upcoming events like the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, and the U.S.’ 250th anniversary in 2026. Meanwhile, the House Homeland Security’s Committee Task Force on Special Events is providing oversight of these security efforts.
“This important meeting will help inform the Committee’s ongoing efforts to ensure DHS can help keep Americans and visitors safe during upcoming international events on U.S. soil, including the 2028 Olympics,” Garbarino said. “America can never again be caught off guard by its enemies.”
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