Bill Introduced to Strengthen Oversight of Foreign Fighters

WASHINGTON, D.C. — House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence members Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ-02) and Eric Swalwell (D-CA-15) introduced the “Tracking Foreign Fighters in Terrorist Safe Havens Act” to ensure greater oversight by Congress over the intelligence agencies.
“To fully combat the threat of terrorism, we must have a clear assessment of the number of terrorists being trained in safe havens across the globe so that our strategic counterterrorism efforts can succeed. Furthermore, in order to prevent future attacks like San Bernardino, we must know if U.S. citizens are being radicalized to bring terrorism to our shores,” said House CIA Subcommittee Chairman LoBiondo. “The legislation Ranking Member Swalwell and I have introduced will give Congress a more accurate picture of the threats we face and how our national security agencies are combating them.”
“As a member of the Intelligence Committee, I am working in a bipartisan way to keep our country safe,” said House CIA Subcommittee Ranking Member Swalwell. “While ISIL and other terror groups are directing and inspiring those with U.S. and western passports to return home and launch attacks, we must remain vigilant and take action. We must be more coordinated than ISIL. Rep. LoBiondo and I are taking action by introducing this important bipartisan legislation to require a periodic report from the Director of National Intelligence on the flow of foreign fighters to and from terrorist safe havens. This report will allow us to better understand the threat we are facing in order to best protect the safety and security of the American people.”
As directed by the legislation, every six months the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report on foreign fighter flows to and from terrorist safe havens abroad. The reports would be categorized as classified and consistent with the protection of intelligence sources and methods.
LoBiondo and Swalwell’s legislation instructs the DNI to submit a report on each terrorist safe haven and to include the following:
Total number of foreign fighters who have traveled or are suspected of having traveled to the terrorist safe haven since 2011, including the countries of origin of such foreign fighters;
Total number of United States citizens present in the terrorist safe haven; and,
Total number of foreign fighters who have left the terrorist safe haven or whose whereabouts are unknown.