Security in D.C. remains on high alert due to warnings of threats from extremists

The Department of Homeland Security is warning about the growing threat of violent domestic extremists.

Following the Jan. 6 attack at the Capitol, increased security measures have been highly visible.

A razor-wire fence still stands outside the Capitol, and the National Guard remains in place.

Lawmakers from both parties are on high alert.

“I think members have been receiving threats. There are 5,000 National Guard troops around the Capitol building,” said Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.)

“We all have a little office at the Capitol itself away from our other offices, and that still has got broken glass and boarded-up windows where the insurrectionists attempted to penetrate,” said Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.)

Even with the ramped-up security, there have been recent incidents.

On Thursday, police arrested a man for trying to bypass a security checkpoint at the Capitol.

One day earlier, a West Viriginia man was arrested for carrying an unlicensed gun and ammunition near the Capitol.

The acting chief for U.S. Capitol police is pushing to have the fencing become a permanent fixture.

In the past, there has generally been resistance to making the Capitol look like a fortress because it’s meant to be open to the public.

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has said while the heightened security is needed for now, she is opposed to extra troops or permanent fencing as a long-term solution.

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