State Report Justifies Elevated Terror Threat for Texas

HOUSTON (AP) — A state public safety review cites potential danger from radical Islamic terror groups and Mexican drug cartels to justify the threat level in Texas as "elevated."

The 2017 Department of Public Safety Threat Overview report says information from law enforcement and security agencies shows terrorism and security along the Texas-Mexico border is linked to countries like Syria and Iraq. It cites "inaccessible or nonexistent" security information about Syrian war refugees or asylum seekers who have resettled to Texas, meaning some of those people could be posing as what the state police agency calls "authentic refugees."

The Houston Chronicle reports (http://bit.ly/2jLoSO3 ) the review also shows all eight major Mexican drug cartels operate in Texas and have partnered with gangs to support drug and human smuggling on both sides of the border.