Effectively Tracking Foreign Fighters

U.S. Representative Mike Quigley (IL-05) urged his colleagues to support the Tracking Foreign Fighters in Terrorist Safe Havens Act, which provides for a more clear understanding of the real threats to U.S. security and allows Congress to work in partnership with U.S. national security agencies to defend against these threats.

Below is a video and transcript of the speech.

Mr. Speaker, in these trying times, Congress needs to provide leadership and answer the question: what really keeps Americans safe?

ISIS has directed U.S. and western passport holders to launch attacks at home and abroad, and this threat requires our vigilance.

But it is foolish to think that we can effectively combat this terrorism blindly.

Congress needs an accurate estimation of the number of foreign fighters who have traveled to terrorist safe havens like Syria.

We need to know how many U.S. citizens are currently there, and we need to know the whereabouts of those who have left.

Given that many of the Paris attackers were European nationals, the need for this intelligence is crucial in the fight against ISIS and those who wish to harm the U.S.

The Tracking Foreign Fighters in Terrorist Safe Havens Act provides for a more clear understanding of the real threats to U.S. security and allows Congress to work in partnership with our national security agencies to defend against these threats.

I am happy to support this commonsense step to keep Americans safe.