Biden's Homeland Security issues 'heightened threat advisory' because of fears of 'mass casualty violence' if Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade

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The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a 'heightened threat advisory' on Tuesday, warning of an increased risk of 'mass casualty violence' nationwide fueled by extremist ideologies and personal beliefs.

Incidents could be motivated by the looming Supreme Court decision that could wipe out federal abortion protections granted by Roe v. Wade.

A draft opinion leaked by Politico last month indicated the Justices were poised to overturn the ruling, sparking fierce demonstrations across the country from both pro-life and pro-choice groups.

Tensions are expected to boil over the high court releases its opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health, where Mississippi officials have asked Justices to repeal the landmark case Roe v. Wade.

The bulletin cites 'individuals who advocate both for and against abortion' who publicly 'encouraged violence, including against government, religious, and reproductive healthcare personnel and facilities, as well as those with opposing ideologies.'

The high court scheduled an additional day of releasing opinions on Wednesday, with 33 decisions left in the current term until summer break. 

DHS also warned that 'domestic violent extremists' could use changes in the US-Mexico border enforcement system as a reason to carry out attacks against 'minorities and law enforcement officials' - just weeks after a judge blocked the Biden administration from lifting a pandemic-era expulsion policy known as Title 42.

The upcoming Supreme Court decision on abortion rights, due this month, is expected to come with a rise in politically motivated violence

Further political violence could come as the November midterm elections near, which will decide which party controls Congress for the remainder of President Joe Biden's term, the bulletin suggests.

It's set to expire at the end of that month. 

And as the country still reels from the horrific shooting of 19 elementary school students and their two teachers in Uvalde, Texas, officials warn that 'copycat attacks' are being encouraged in extremist online forums.

'In the coming months, we expect the threat environment to become more dynamic as several high-profile events could be exploited to justify acts of violence against a range of possible targets,' the bulletin reads.

Schools, faith-based institutions, the media, racial and religious minorities, government figures and critical US infrastructure are among the wide-ranging list of areas under threat.

These attacks are expected to be carried out by 'lone offenders and small groups,' such as the spate of mass shootings in recent weeks.

They are also expected to get the support of hostile foreign actors and religious extremists.   

For example, DHS said it was investigating 'a number of pro-al-Qa‘ida and ISIS users' online celebrating an attack on a New York City subway station in which the assailant released two gas canisters on a rush hour train and opened fire.

It also highlights recent misinformation spread by Moscow that the US is responsible for its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine and is funding bioweapons labs for Kyiv.

The government is also expecting a rise in violent attacks against minorities and law enforcement at the border over 'changes in border security-related policies and/or enforcement mechanisms' just weeks after a judge blocked the Biden administration from lifting the pandemic-era expulsion policy Title 42 (pictured: Thousands of migrants walk in a caravan towards the northern border, in the city of Tapachula, in the state of Chiapas, Mexico on June 6)

'Some of these actors have used these conspiracy theories to justify calls for violence against U.S. officials and institutions,' the bulletin states.  

It also warns of a pro-al-Qa‘ida magazine that encouraged readers to travel to Ukraine to secure weapons and training to use against the West in its April issue.

'Malign foreign actors' could also seek to meddle in the upcoming midterms 'in keeping with practices during previous election cycles.'

But DHS is also warning of a domestic threat due to the heightened political tension.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas' department is warning these threats could escalate 'in the coming months'

'As the United States enters mid-term election season this year, we assess that calls for violence by domestic violent extremists directed at democratic institutions, political candidates, party offices, election events, and election workers will likely increase,' the department states.

The memo classified the warning as a threat fueled by 'false or misleading narratives regarding current events,' along with an alert that people angered by the migrant crisis on the southwestern border could also be motivated to attack.

The Biden administration is monitoring individuals who have 'expressed grievances related to their perception that the U.S. government is unwilling or unable to secure the U.S.-Mexico border' and 'have called for violence to stem the flow of undocumented migrants to the United States,' it states.

DHS also highlights the shootings in Uvalde and Buffalo, New York as instances of online conspiracy theories fueling more violence in the real world.

'Individuals in online forums that routinely promulgate domestic violent extremist and conspiracy theory-related content have praised the May 2022 mass shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas and encouraged copycat attacks,' it states.

'Others have seized on the event to attempt to spread disinformation and incite grievances, including claims it was a government-staged event meant to advance gun control measures.'

In the case of Buffalo, the bulletin points of the shooter's self-stated ideologies of 'great replacement' and 'white genocide.'

'These theories claim that minorities, multiculturalists, and a ruling elite are deliberately threatening the existence of the white race,' it reads.