House Homeland Security Committee Report on Stopping Terrorist Travel to the U.S.

A just released report from the Majority Staff of the U.S House Homeland Security Committee examines the threat posed to the country by “Special Interest Aliens (SIAs)” and efforts taken by the federal government to address the situation. The Committee defines an SIA as “a non-U.S. citizen from a country outside the Western Hemisphere who, based on country of origin and travel pattern, poses a potential national security risk to the United States.” According to the report, the diaspora of former Islamic State fighters from the group’s former physical caliphate has increased the number of SIAs seeking to enter the U.S. The report includes several case studies of alleged SIAs who attempted to travel to the U.S. It concludes by describing some of the previous legislation to address the SIA threat that members of the House Homeland Security Committee sponsored as well as others that they have proposed but that have not been approved.