Hearing of the Task Force on Denying Terrorists Entry into the United States of the House Homeland Security Committee - Opening Statement of Rep. Thompson, Hearing on the Terrorist Diaspora: After the Fall of the Caliphate

Hearing

This Committee has a long history of addressing terrorist travel to the United States
through its oversight and legislative work. Today's task force hearing will address a
topic that has been addressed by a previous Committee task force and
Subcommittees.
The rising number of foreign fighters returning from Iraq and Syria to Europe, along
with increased terrorist attacks in Europe, raises concern about the possibility of
foreign fighters from Europe or elsewhere seeking to enter this country to do us harm.
Identifying foreign fighters among the millions of legitimate travelers to the U.S. each
year is a serious challenge for the Department of Homeland Security and other
Federal agencies.
Individuals have become more sophisticated about traveling to the so-called caliphate
undetected. Many of our foreign partners have limited ability to track their returnees
and information sharing can be a challenge. It is therefore incumbent upon the U.S. to
continue to enhance our capacity to identify those who have traveled to Iraq and Syria
for terrorist purposes and support our partners' capacity to do the same.
It is also imperative that we strengthen information sharing agreements and practices
with foreign governments to ensure that they are providing information about their
returnees who may pose a threat to the U.S. This effort requires diplomacy and
relationship building, neither of which have been a strong suit of the Trump
Administration thus far. Oftentimes, putting "America first" means working with foreign
partners rather than alienating them.
I know the operators at DHS and other Federal agencies have forged good working
relationships with their foreign counterparts. Perhaps the Administration at its highest
level could take a lesson from them.
I would also note that seven months into the Trump presidency, the Department of
Homeland Security still has numerous vacancies in critical leadership positions,
including those integral to addressing the foreign fighter threat, including
Commissioner of Customs and Border Protection and Director of Immigration and
Customs Enforcement, Under Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis, and Assistant
Secretary for the Office of Policy.
"Acting" agency heads may be career officials with substantial expertise, but they aregenerally not empowered to implement new policies and initiatives. The White House
needs to ensure the Department has confirmed leadership in place to deal with
emerging and evolving threats like the matter before the Task Force this afternoon.

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