US DHS secretary 'deeply concerned' over high tolerance of hate in country

ASPEN, United States - Calling divisiveness one of the many threats facing the United States, US Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas on Tuesday blamed the growing divide on the unprecedented high degree of tolerance for hate in the country.

"In my view, there has been more space given than I can remember for hate and the overt expression of it. And I am deeply concerned that the overt expression of hate propagates more hate," Mayorkas said.

He was speaking during a fireside chat-style discussion on the first day of the four-day Aspen Security Forum, an annual event held in Aspen, Colorado, that gathers current and former senior US government officials as well as notable figures worldwide.

When asked about his opinion on politicians' actions in "stirring this toxic environment" that contributed to the rise of domestic terrorism in the United States in recent years, he, however, dodged the question and said, "I'm going to pull back from politics for a minute and just speak of the divide."

Mayorkas' remarks came at a time when the American people are increasingly believing the country is insecure, with white supremacists and conspiracy theorists alike besieging the US Capitol in an attempt to overturn the result of the presidential election, and with black people and primary school students being killed in never-ending shooting carnages.