The identities of the suspects in the San Bernardino, California shooting had barely been made public when the Council on Islamic-American Relations convened a press conference denouncing the violence, urging the public not to blame Islam for the tragedy, and giving a podium to one of the alleged shooter’s relatives to express regret for the loss of life and bewilderment at the possible motives, which remained under investigation. The FBI, taking the lead, is treating the matter as a terrorism investigation for the time being, claiming to have “uncovered evidence that Mr. [Syed] Farook was in contact over several years with extremists domestically and abroad, including at least one person in the United States who was investigated for suspected terrorism by federal authorities in recent years,” according to a New York Times account. Authorities searching the home of Farook and his wife discovered more than 2,500 rounds of ammunition, 12 pipe bombs and materials to make more.

Anticipating a backlash against Muslims, advocates swung into high gear. ReThink Media, funded in part through NSHR grantee the Security and Rights Collaborative, distributed a set of talking points to organizations working to combat Islamophobia and arranging a series of conference calls to discuss messaging and crisis communications tactics. New grantee MPower Change lit out after the New York Post for its inflammatory cover headline “Muslim Killers,” pointing out that whole religions were not implicated in coverage of other mass shootings (Charleston, Colorado Springs, Aurora) and launching a campaign to hold the Post accountable for its hurtful language. And Muslim Advocates was set to host a conversation with Attorney General Loretta Lynch on efforts to battle hate speech and anti-Muslim discrimination at its annual dinner in Washington DC (to be televised on C-SPAN tonight). Others circulated op-eds, like this one from a member of the US Naval Reserve, decrying anti-Muslim bigotry.

Advocates of greater gun control took to Twitter, chiding the parade of politicians who sent “thoughts and prayers” without taking concrete steps to improve public safety.  The Center for American Progress convened calls on mass gun violence—one of a number of efforts to follow through on President Obama’s exhortation to revive efforts to enact new controls, such as universal background checks or a ban on assault rifles. But there few immediate signs that Congress was planning to take action; Senate Republicans promptly shot down a pair of gun control amendments.

Prospects for a revamp of the visa waiver program appeared brighter, as House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi came out in support of a bill to beef up security measures.

Rep. Mike Honda held a briefing in which several Syrian families shared their experiences with screening and resettlement, and discussed how the national debate over how to handle refugees from Syria had affected their lives. Rep. John Sarbanes talked with David Miliband, president and CEO of the International Rescue Committee, about the U.S. role in dealing with the refugee crisis. Advocates trumpeted a conference call featuring a group of national security experts and Rep. Seth Moulton, warning lawmakers against giving into xenophobia in their handling of the Syrian refugee resettlement.

A new Quinnipiac poll suggested that U.S. anxiety may be shifting away from the refugees and focusing more on homegrown jihadists.

Texas became the first state to launch a legal action to stop inflow of Syrian refugees.

Among other grantee activities:

--The National Security Network released a new policy report entitled Mainstreaming Hate: The Far-Right Fringe Origins of Islamophobic and Anti-Refugee Politics.

--The Constitution Project’s Liberty and Security Committee released a bipartisan statement calling on members of Congress to resist the temptation to trample constitutional rights and refrain from reinvigorating mass surveillance, empowering the government to strip away citizenship, impose religious tests for refugees  and reinstate harsh interrogation techniques.

--The Brennan Center helped amplify a Just Security piece reminding Americans of the importance of the 4th Amendment as a bulwark against the kinds of invasive government searches being advocated by political leaders in this time of crisis.  

--MoveOn.org is organizing a briefing next Monday on new national polling the group commissioned on the Syrian refugee crisis to be shared among advocates.

--The Refugee Council USA and some of its members issued calls to action to safeguard the Syrian refugee resettlement program. A sampling:

Episcopal Migration Ministries
Send a letter to your elected officials supporting refugees in your community!

Center for Victims of Torture
Tell Congress to say NO to any legislative efforts that would stop, pause or defund the resettlement of Syrian or Iraqi refugees.

Church World Service
Tell Congress & Your Governor to WELCOME ALL REFUGEES! Call your Representative, Senators, & Governor!

HIAS
Tell Your Senators to Keep the Door Open for Refugees

International Rescue Committee
Tell Congress to Make #RefugeesWelcome

Lutheran Immigrant and Refugee Service

Support and Protect Syrian Refugees

US Conference of Catholic Bishops

Protect deserving, carefully vetted Syrian and Iraqi refugees and their families fleeing violence and death.