Tracking Foreign Fighters in Terrorist Safe Havens Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. CARSON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this legislation, which I believe is critical to our national security and that of our allies.

Public estimates indicate that over 30,000 foreign fighters, including some from the United States, have traveled to Iraq and Syria.

Over the last few years, Mr. Speaker, Americans watched as three teenage girls from Denver were arrested on their way to Syria. Ten young men from Minnesota were arrested--including the ringleader just last week--for a similar attempt.

These young men and women, Mr. Speaker, and many others who make it to Syria, intend to carry out terrible atrocities against innocent people. Even more concerning, we know that some people hope to return and bring their fight to American soil.

As a member of the House Intelligence Committee, I have confidence that the men and women in our intelligence community have the resources and expertise to keep us safe.

Every day, they are tracking foreign fighters around the world, coordinating with our allies, and shutting down threats before they become a reality. We need to better understand this threat to create a whole-of-government response.

Mr. Speaker, this information will help us conduct outreach into affected communities here at home so we can show parents what their kids are doing online and how to protect them from radicalization.

Mr. Speaker, it will help us expand our support and coordination with our allies, including Turkey and Iraq, to show them what they can do, what we can do, and combine our efforts to stop these fighters.

These reports, mandated in this legislation, will show where terrorists are coming from and where they train. It will help us assess when they may be returning home and what precautions we need to put in place. In light of the attacks in San Bernardino and Paris, this is absolutely critical.

I encourage support from my colleagues.

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