ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — House Democrats say more funding is needed to combat terror recruiting in Minnesota.
The large Somali community in Minneapolis has made it a primary target for terrorism recruitment — and the federal government’s anti-terrorism efforts. Minnesota lawmakers put up $250,000 last year to fund anti-recruiting programs, with the federal government and private sources contributing more money.
House Democrats say that’s not enough. Minneapolis Rep. Phyllis Kahn and others proposed allocating another $2 million for those programs on Monday.
The state’s Department of Public Safety hasn’t awarded the $250,000 sum from last year. A report released last week noted more study is needed to determine the most effective approaches but laid out some options, like training community members to identify at-risk youth and countering radical messages on social media.
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