You’d think that in the United States of America—land of the free, home of the brave, birthplace of religious liberty—we wouldn’t have to remind people that torching synagogues and attacking Holocaust survivors with flamethrowers is, well, a pretty big problem.
But here we are, in 2025, and Representative August Pfluger from Texas is having to drag Congress into a hearing just to spotlight something that should be blindingly obvious: antisemitic violence in this country is spiking, and no, it’s not just a string of random bad days. It’s a pattern. A disturbing, violent, and utterly avoidable pattern that’s getting shrugged off by too many people in power.
The heinous attack in Boulder this Sunday is part of a disturbing pattern, not an isolated incident.
This is why I am leading a @HomelandGOP Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence Hearing on growing antisemitic violence in the U.S.https://t.co/WhCqujML0C
— Rep. August Pfluger (@RepPfluger) June 4, 2025
Let’s talk about Boulder. A dozen people were injured, including a Holocaust survivor. The suspect, Mohamed Sabry Soliman, came in under the Biden administration and—surprise!—overstayed his visa. Then he allegedly yells “Free Palestine” and starts lighting people on fire at a peaceful gathering meant to support hostages. What does the White House have to say about that? Cue the sound of crickets. Or worse, a well-polished “we condemn all violence” statement that lumps actual terrorism in with some college kid holding a protest sign.
But Pfluger’s not buying it. And he’s not alone. He’s bringing this front and center on June 11, calling it what it is: anti-Israel terrorism inside the American homeland. Not discontent. Not unrest. Not “largely peaceful.” Terrorism. It’s refreshing to see someone on Capitol Hill skip the buzzwords and get down to brass tacks. Because when two Israeli Embassy staffers get murdered in broad daylight in Washington, D.C., and the reaction from half the media is to yawn or pivot to Gaza talking points, something’s broken.
Let’s rewind the tape a bit. We’ve had repeated warnings from lawmakers and intelligence officials—actual professionals in the field, not TikTok influencers—that open borders and lax immigration enforcement are a clear and present danger. What happened next? Biden and Harris cracked the door open, rolled out the welcome mat, and then acted stunned when people on terrorist watch lists waltzed in. The Judiciary Committee’s own Republicans put out a report last year showing nearly 100 illegal immigrants on the terror watch list were released under Biden. But sure, let’s talk about student debt forgiveness and plastic straws.
And can we talk about the gall it takes to treat this like a surprise? Former FBI Director Chris Wray didn’t mince words back in April. Terrorists, he said, are exploiting our southern border and using it to stage attacks. Multiple individuals with international ties were arrested thanks to ICE—yes, that ICE, the one progressives are constantly trying to abolish. It’s almost like secure borders and law enforcement matter. Shocking, right?
Now, Pfluger’s also pushing for something a little more future-proof: legislation to track how terror groups use encrypted messaging apps and foreign cloud services. That’s called forward thinking. And it even has bipartisan support. Imagine that. A Republican and a Democrat agreeing that keeping Hamas off your phone might be a good idea.
But here’s the uncomfortable truth: Pfluger’s hearing is going to make some people squirm. Because it exposes the moral rot of pretending antisemitism is only bad when it fits your narrative. If a white supremacist did any of these attacks, we’d never hear the end of it. But when it’s someone shouting “Free Palestine,” it’s suddenly “complicated.” That’s not nuance, that’s cowardice.
So yes, thank God Pfluger’s hauling this issue into the spotlight. And if there’s anything left of the American backbone in Washington, his colleagues ought to follow his lead. This is not about party lines. This is about whether we’re going to let terrorists intimidate Jewish Americans on our own soil while the government shrugs and fumbles through talking points. The time for polite debate is over. It’s time to stand up, call it what it is, and defend the very freedoms we claim to cherish.
