Secretary of Homeland Security meets with governors, mayor

NEW YORK (WABC) -- The Head of Homeland Security met with local governors and Mayor de Blasio, as the federal government steps up its tracking of Americans looking to join extremist Islamist groups like ISIS.

ISIS has been actively trying to recruit Americans to terrorize their fellow citizens.

Now, the U.S. Homeland Security Secretary is taking action to deal with this evolving terror threat.

And after a meeting in New York City Monday afternoon, the governors of New York and New Jersey are ordering their state police departments to review how the two states coordinate their anti-terrorism planning and efforts.

The bottom line from this meeting is a clear and concise message; that America faces a new and evolving threat of terrorism.

"We've had the opportunity to talk a number of times over the last few days about the seriousness and the intensity of the threat that now faces us," said Governor Chris Christie, (R) New Jersey.

While the governors and mayor met in private on heightened security concerns, the Justice Department in Washington released a video on how it's combating ISIS and tracking American extremists who travel to Syria and Iraq.

"And we have engaged in extensive outreach to communities here in the U.S. so we can work with them to identify threats before they emerge, to disrupt homegrown terrorists, and to apprehend would-be violent extremists," U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said.

The CIA says thousands of foreign fighters, dozens of them American, have joined various jihadist groups in Syria.

They produce slick, polished recruitment video; officials say this is video of an American urging others to join the fight.

"Please, all believers come who can come, come to share with us as soon as possible," an ISIS video said.

The worry is Americans will go overseas, train, and return, and experts said they see a whole range of potential threats.

"And as I see it those threats include the potential for domestic-based attacks of the type we saw at the Boston Marathon last year," said Jeh Johnson, the Homeland Security Secretary.

On his recent trip to Israel, security officials warned Governor Cuomo these new terrorists will eventually travel to Europe and then perhaps America.

"Americans make a mistake if they think this is a Middle East crisis. This is an international crisis," Governor Cuomo said.