I know many will plan to voice their disappointment publicly. Through protest. This is the right. This is the right of all americans. But as i have said before, throughout our history, the most successful movements have been those that adhere to the principles of nonviolence. I urge all those inclined to demonstrate tonight and in days ahead to remain peaceful in their demonstrations, and not to engage in activities that deflect our attention from the very serious matters that our nation must confront. Thank you. [captions Copyright National cable satellite corp. 2014] [captioning performed by National Captioning Institute which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. Visit ncicap. Org] , on her over 40 years covering the white house and the administrations of gerald ford through barack obama. Listenat and watched him a group of second graders go through their drill. An interruption of the president , and i was stunned. I wrote down in my reporters notebook, nobody interrupts a president , even in front of second graders. The president stood and said that he had to go, and he went into a side room. And then we heard, we discovered, that it was two planes down, play crashes in new york. Pool, we were now in the parking lot outside the school. Stay right here, and the president will come. I said, there are light cameras in the cafeteria. The president has to speak there. He did not want to scare the children, but he did go into the cafeteria. He said, it is an apparent terrorist attack, and i must return to washington. The doorto the plane, slammed, and then the pentagon was hit. Now, a hearing on the recruitment of foreign fighters fight isis and other threats posed by the militant group. The Homeland Security and state departments, before 2 subcommittees. This is a little over two hours. The committee will come to order. Without objection, all members may have five days to the submit statements, questions, and extraneous materials for the record, subject to the length limitation in the rules. Whether its isis or al nusra or corason, theres the influx of foreign fighters far surpasses anything we have even seen in afghanistan. The scale of this mass migration is unprecedented and it results in deadly attacks. More foreign fighters have flocked to syria and iraq to fight for radical islamic groups like isis in the last two years than fought in iraq in afghanistan in the last 12 years. I have a map, i hope we can put that up on the screens. That show the areas that these fighters have come from. They have come from all over the world. According to estimates, around 15,000 jihadists from over 80 countries have traveled to syria to fight. 2,000 of these fighters are from of these killers are from western countries, including the United States and that you. 500 are from the u. K. , 700 from france. 400 from germany, and over 100 from america. All of these western passport holders can travel freely in europe and even to the United States once they have finished their tour of duty in syria. None of this is hypothetical. We have seen returning jihadists go on murderous rampages before. In may, a returning french jihadist from syria killed three people during a shooting spree at a Jewish Museum in brussels. In october, a wannabe jihadist who wanted to travel to syria killed a canadian soldier. Seven were arrested in the last two months, trying to travel to syria to join isis. A Senior Obama Administration official in september said that some americans who have fought with isis in syria have returned to the United States. One known example is the case of eric harun. He fought with our Nusra Al Nusra in syria on an rpg team. He flew to Dulles International airport where he was taken into custody by the fbi. He was brought up on charges for conspiracy to provide Material Support to a terrorist organization. Pled guilty of lesser charges and was released in september of that same year. Harun died of a Drug Overdose in 2014. He isnt the only american we need to be concerned about. European jihadists are just as much a threat to u. S. Security, as they travel freely to the United States under a visa waiver program. I doubt that u. S. And European Intelligence Services know who every one of these individuals may be. Just as a side note, the dod and the fbi were both invited to be here today to testify at this hearing and they would not come. Some say these individuals may slip through the cracks. There is a recruitment program. The network is global sophisticated and effective. Isis uses its Global Network to recruit, fundraise and smuggle fighters into and out of syria. This is much more Sophisticated Network than anything we know from core al qaeda operatives out of pakistan and afghanistan. The best way to reduce the threat that these foreign fighters pose is to identify how the isis Recruitment Network works and develop a global strategy to destroy it. We need to understand what countries these fighters are coming from but also how theyre getting into syria, once they leave their home countries. What are the main countries being used by foreign fighters to get into syria . What kind of political pressure are we using on these countries to go after these networks . Were not sure what that is, thats part of the purpose of this hearing today. Complicating issues further, there are a number of gulf countries who are either unwilling or unable to crack down on jihadists trying to get into syria. Many of these countries act as a hub of foreign fighters, we need foreign fighters. We need to do more to enlist the cooperation of these countries to tackle the threat, but we cant do this without a comprehensive plan. We also need to combat isis online Recruitment Networks, social media is crucial to the isis network of recruiting. They have a whole media center dedicated to producing highquality propaganda videos, tweets, and the like. This is how their recruitment works. After initial vetting by an isis recruiter, travel logistics are finalized. Turkey is the most commonly used route. There are extensive contacts on both sides of the turkeysyria border to bring fighters in and out of syria. Socalled religious and physical training begins, followed by testing the foreign fighters with small tasks and after that recruits are given their marching orders to go and fight. Theyre paid and theyre given weapons. This is a welloiled machine and very organized. Isis is only going to get better, more efficient, and more deadly and will turn more attention to attacks on the west in years to come. I look forward to hearing from our witnesses this morning. I will now turn to the Ranking Member mr. Sherman from california for his fiveminute opening comments. Isis is evil and they found ways to convince americans that they are more evil than other forces in the middle east, but the fact is that the enemies of isis are at least nearly as evil , and i think demonstrably more dangerous to us in the west than is isis. Isis not only is impossible without huge american casualties, if possible in the current decade, but begs the question what will flourish in the territory, both the cyber territory, to the ideological territory and the physical territory that isis now occupies. Isiss enemies now include the shiite axis of hezbollah, assad, the shiite militias of iraq under iranian guidance, and of course tehran itself. And those enemies also include al qaeda and of course its fully authorized branch, the al nusra front. There is talk that isis may be able to carry on an operation outside the middle east, compare that to its enemies. In 1983, we saw americans die by the hundreds in beirut. In the 1990s, we saw attacks in south america from hezbollah and iran. And there was the attempt by iran to assassinate the saudi ambassador recently right here in washington, d. C. No one can doubt that the iranians, the syrian government, and hezbollah have the have a capacity to get their agents into western countries in the United States. After all, theres an Iranian Embassy just a couple of hundred miles north of where we sit at the United Nations. As to al qaeda, their capacity to carry out attacks in the west was demonstrated on september 11 and the Khorasan Group which we on september 22 was syria as a part of an alliance with the al nusra front. So just as important as destroying isis is what would occupy its ideological and physical space. We have to prevent foreign fighters from joining isis, but the turks seem much more focused on what they see as their enemies, assad and many of the kurdish fighters. They have not allowed us to use interlink to attack isis, unless we alter our policy and decide to use our air force against assad. Whether we should do that depends in part as to who would take over syria if assad were destroyed. Right now al nusra and isis seem to be first and second in line, perhaps not in that order. In addition, the president does not have the Legal Authority to than 60 days,ore under the war powers act, on the assad regime. He claims that authority with some support, the authority that is to say to go after isis on the theory that it is a Splinter Group of al qaeda and in 2001, this congress authorized every effort against al qaeda. We must urge countries to seal borders and to deter their citizens from joining isis and other extremist forces in syria and iraq. We must dispel this notion that the people can go fight and then return and be monitored. If a foreign fighter returns, they must be imprisoned. And u. N. Security Council Resolution 2178 passed in september requires countries to pass laws as we have for decades, that would put such terrorist operatives in jail. That would do a lot making it clear, especially from european countries, that returning fighters are not going to be monitored, they are going to be imprisoned, is not only consistent with the United Nations security resolution but will act to deter foreign fighters. Finally, i will be using these hearings to once again urge the state department to hire people for their expertise in islamic theology and law. Not because of fatwa issued by the state department would have credibility, but because state departments efforts to persuade legal scholars, islamic legal scholars around the world, consists in going to them and saying, these guys are terrible, you think of the Legal Authority, you think of the legal arguments that will allow you to come out against them. No one would go to an american jurist and say my adversary is evil. You, sir, come up with the doctrine. Instead, you hire lawyers that know the law and that come to and come to plead not only your case, but the legality of your argument. When we get the recognized legal scholars in the islamic world on our side, that would be helpful, but we have not hired a single lawyer and we are going to , courts around the world. I yield back. I now recognize the chairman of the subcommittee on the middle east and west africa for her opening statement. Thank you so much, judge. Since the beginning of this congress, our two subcommittees have held hearings to explore the crisis in iraq and the rise of isil, and we have yet to hear of a comprehensive strategy to address these issues from the administration. For more than three years now, the administration has failed to address the syria crisis head on. And instead has let the country become a safe haven for more and more terrorists who seek to harm the United States and our interests. We on this committee have continued to sound the alarm and have been pleading with the administration to be more proactive in syria, to avoid spillover effects that could destabilize the region. Unfortunately, our calls have gone unanswered. Even former officials from this same administration have been public about their own criticism over the president s syria strategy or lack thereof. The longer the Administration Delays and fumbles about, we the greater the danger for both u. S. National security interests and those of our allies. We must have a comprehensive strategy that not only remonths removes assad from power but addresses the iran issue and iraq, syria and isis , together. All this does not give me much confidence that officials have a satisfactory plan in place to address the foreign fighters threat. While it is important that we refrain from hyperbolic rhetoric and overreaction when talking about isil and foreign fighters, it is equally important that we not downplay the threat. The cia estimated in september now hasold that isil between 21,000 and 31,500 total fighters in syria and iraq, and at least 15,000 of whom are foreign fighters from 80 countries. U. S. Intelligence officials have acknowledged the difficulty of providing an exact number, saying that due to, quotes, the changing dping familiar aches of the battlefield, new recruits and other factor, it is difficult to assess the number of fighters, anend quote. What we do know is that the majority of foreign fighters are from nations in the middle east however there is a significant number, according dhs testimony, that come from other countries including over 100 americans. The reach of this terrorist organization has extended beyond our initial assessment, as we saw the tragic killing of four people at the Jewish Museum in brussels, or the attack in melbourne, where an 18yearold stabbed officers at a Police Station in the hand, body, and head, after offering to help officials with their investigation. The possibility of homegrown or lone wolf attacks inspired by isil should be of concern to Law Enforcement officers everywhere. The European Union which has been soft on terrorism in the past, must take heed of these examples and heighten their terrorism laws as well as increase their cooperation with us. We must also remember that the process of foreign fighters joining isil and the groups radicalization of westerners are still in the beginning stages. It took years before we saw the results of individuals joining Osama Bin Laden and al qaeda in afghanistan, and the complete threat posed by isil foreign fighters remains to be seen. Yes it is true that the problem of foreigners joining a terrorist group is not a new problem. This should not allow us, however, to be complacent. The sheer number of foreign fighters to isil is cause for alarm, and any attempt to downplay the threat is misguided and dangerous. We must look at all options available to us to prevent fighters from traveling to syria and iraq from returning to the United States and the recruitment in the first place. Whether that is tightening travel restrictions on those who try to enter certain countries or go back to the u. S. , increasing penalties for providing support to terrorist groups, enhancing cooperation with our allies, especially visa waiver countries that may be attracting these dangerous individuals, are things we have to do. We have to have a realistic debate about the measures necessary to take on foreign fighters, to monitor them here and overseas to arrest and detain them, before and after an attack, all while assuring that our Civil Liberties are protected. Rhetoric that attempts to brand us the threat or will not help. I look forward, mr. Chairman to hearing from our witnesses for what exactly the administration is doing to tackle this problem in both short and longterm as well as to encourage a debate we all need to be having. Thank you, sir. I now turn to the Ranking Member of the skub committee in subcommittee in the middle east and north africa. Mr. Ted deutch from florida for , his opening statement. Thank you mr. Chairman. The issue of foreign fighters joining isis and other extremist groups in syria and iraq, poses a grave threat to Global Security and deserves this congresss full attention. I want to thank our esteemed witnesses for their many years of service to this country and for being here today. The rise of isis has been truly unprecedented. Isis broke away from al qaeda. It transformed into a wellfunded group across iraq and syria. Isis has not just focused its efforts on the battlefield. Its developed a Propaganda Machine which is spreading its message to nearly every corner of the earth. Isis produces videos, pamphlets, and has generated a disturbing amount of attention via social media. Where terrorist organizations have long recruited locally in villages and towns, with twitter and you tube, isis has a direct line across the world, and in a grotesque display of disregard for human life, isis has used brutal beheadings of americans as a propaganda tool. Weather entice by the idea of an toamic caliphate, claiming be agitated by the west, or simply looking for steady income, young men and women from the middle east, north africa, europe, and beyond have signed up to join the fight in syria. Estimates now put the number of foreign fighters at over 16,000. Three years ago, we were first alarmed by reports of fighters coming into syria from other countries in the region, mainly from saudi arabia and north africa. We should be particularly concerned about to the Alarming Number of fighters coming from north africa. The chaos that followed the revolutions in tunisia and libya have yielded two very different results. Seeded with a democratic transition, struggling at times, but reducing a constitution, elections, and a new government. Libya has been overruin by competing militias, unable to form a strong Central Government or security