‘Be vigilant,’ Homeland Security chief warns ahead of Thanksgiving

Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson wants people traveling for Thanksgiving to be on the lookout for suspicious behavior.

In a statement on Monday, Johnson reiterated the Obama administration’s belief that there is “no credible and specific intelligence indicating a Paris-like plot on the U.S. homeland.”

Yet he told travelers to be on guard for things that seem off.

{mosads}“We continue to urge all Americans to exercise their freedom to travel, attend public events, celebrate the holidays, but be vigilant and aware, and report suspicious things and activity,” Johnson said. “’If You See Something, Say Something’ is more than a slogan.”

Johnson’s remarks come ahead of some of the busiest travel days of the year, when people all across the country head to airports, train stations and highways to travel for Thanksgiving.

The attacks in Paris earlier this month put much of the country on edge, and fears about terrorism have skyrocketed.

In his statement, Johnson warned against letting those fears overshadow all else.  

“In a free and open democratic society, we cannot eliminate all risk,” he said. “Nor should we succumb to panic, fear and anxiety and compromise our values. Terrorism cannot prevail in a society that refuses to be terrorized.”

After the deadly violence in Paris, lawmakers on Capitol Hill have eyed plans to curb the Obama administration’s plans to bring 10,000 Syrian refugees into the U.S. next year as well as to enact new restrictions on a visa waiver program for tourists from more than three dozen foreign nations.  

The administration has harshly opposed efforts to halts its refugee plans, but has appeared open to changes in the visa waiver program.

On Monday, Johnson also called for Congress to fully fund the White House’s requested budget for aviation security and help to expand a screening system at overseas airports with flights headed to the U.S.