Combatting Terrorist Travel

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant or ISIL and several other extremist groups have attracted tens of thousands of young men and women to join their ranks; many of whom hold passports in France, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Canada, and other Western nations, including United States. Many foreign fighters could be just one flight away, bringing with them the skills, training, ideology, and commitment to killing Americans that they have learned overseas. The threat that these foreign fighters pose is significant and growing in large part because the terrorists with Western passports are eligible for visa-free travel to the United States through the Visa Waiver Program. If we do not have good intelligence on the travel of these fighters or our allies in the Visa Waiver Program are not appropriately sharing what they know, then U.S. citizens could be at risk.