Somalia: U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson Meets the Somali Community in MN

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson was at Minneapolis' Brian Coyle Community Center on Friday to meet with local and state law enforcement, as well as community leaders. They're trying to come up with ways to counter violent extremism in the Twin Cities where Somali American youths travel to Syria and Iraq to join ISIS.

"We have to offer people an alternative narrative, an alternative message and develop that," Johnson said. He says part of that development is a pilot program that will invest in community engagement resources in Minneapolis. U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger was also at Friday's meeting. "That doesn't just involve talking about the problems, but also begins to working on solutions," Lugar said. Johnson also proposed asking for more information from travellers in the Visa Waiver Program, which doesn't require them to have a visa to come to the U.S. He also wants to take into consideration concerns from Somali Americans about security profiling at U.S. airports."There's definitely a distinction to be made there," Johnson said. "We don't want people to be overly suspicious of their neighbours."

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