Hudson Votes to Tackle Terrorist Travel
April 13, 2016
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 13, 2016
April 13, 2016
Hudson Votes to Tackle Terrorist Travel
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representative Richard Hudson (NC-08), co-author of bipartisan legislation to strengthen the vetting of Syrian and Iraqi refugees, released the following statement after the House passed legislation to tackle terrorist travel:
“As foreign fighters with Western passports continue to travel to Iraq and Syria to fight with terrorist groups like ISIS, our government must do more to tackle this threat. Today's legislation will improve border security and information sharing between our allies to stop terrorists before they can reach our shores. Like my bill to strengthen the vetting of Syrian and Iraqi refugees, it’s another critical step to help keep the American people safe.”
The terrorist attacks in Paris that killed 130 people were largely carried out by European nationals—some who traveled to train and fight in Syria before returning to Europe. Although some of the attackers were known to local authorities, they were able to move across borders without detection. The Enhancing Overseas Traveler Vetting Act (H.R. 4403) takes steps to improve border security and information sharing between government vetting systems. H.R. 4403:
- Authorizes the development of open-source software to vet travelers against terrorist watch lists and law enforcement databases.
- Mandates a report to Congress on implementation of such open-source software.
- Permits open-source software sharing with foreign governments and multilateral organizations like INTERPOL after congressional notification and with the concurrence of the Director of National Intelligence.
- Requires open-source software transfers to comply with all existing rules and regulations related to the government’s transfer of these technologies.
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Issues:Defense & National Security