Bills
| 3.23.22

Revoking the Passports of Members & Affiliates of Foreign Terrorist Organizations (H.R. 425)

Do you support or oppose this bill?

What is H.R. 425?

(Updated April 27, 2018)

This bill would amend the Passport Act of 1926 to prohibit the Secretary of State from issuing a passport or passport card to any member, affiliate, or supporter of a foreign terrorist organization.

People who fit the above criteria could also have a passport or passport card that they already have revoked that by the Secretary of State. Before revoking the passport, the Secretary would be authorized to:

  • Limit a previously issued passport or passport card only for return travel to the U.S.

  • Issue a limited passport or passport card that only permits return travel to the U.S.

Persons whose passports are revoked, denied, or limited would have the ability to seek a review by the State Department within 60 days of receiving the notice.

Exceptions could be made in emergencies or for humanitarian reasons allowing for the issuance of a passport or passport card.

Argument in favor

Revoking the U.S. passport of someone who has joined or supported a terrorist group will keep America safe, and making their passport only valid for travel back into the U.S. will bring them right into the hands of law enforcement.

Argument opposed

Potential terrorists will try to workaround having their passports revoked by obtaining falsified passports. And, if the would-be terrorists have second thoughts, revoking their passports may cut off their only way to escape.

Impact

People holding U.S. passports who have joined, aided, or are affiliated with a foreign terrorist organization; the State Department and the Secretary of State.

Cost of H.R. 425

A CBO cost estimate is unavailable.

Additional Info

In-Depth: Sponsoring Rep. Ted Poe (R-TX) introduced this bill to allow for the revocation, denial, or limitation of passports of American citizens who are affiliated with foreign terrorist organizations:

"This bill will help law enforcement locate these individuals by preventing them from traveling internationally so that they can be captured and brought to justice. Most importantly, this legislation will prevent turned Americans from entering the United States undetected.  These people are not returning to America to open coffee shops; they are coming back to kill. We must stop them from coming back at all."
The Brookings Institution estimated that as of September 2014 there were more than 100 Americans who joined extremist groups fighting in Iraq and Syria. It is speculated that about 12 of them have joined ISIS. In April 2015, six people in Minnesota and San Diego were arrested by the FBI for attempting to secure falsified passports and travel to Syria, with intentions to join ISIS.

This legislation passed the House Foreign Affairs Committee on a voice vote and has the support of two cosponsors in the House, Reps. Bill Keating (D-MA) and Joe WIlson (R-SC). During the last session of Congress a nearly identical version of this bill passed the House by voice vote before stalling in the Senate.


Of Note: Canada has already started revoking the passports of citizens who have joined extremist groups, despite concerns that it would eliminate the ability of those who have second thoughts from returning home.

The British have attempted to deal with this problem with proposal to strip UK passport holders of their passport for up to 30 days if they attempt to leave and join terror groups, and then bar them from returning for two to three years.


Media:


Summary by Eric Revell
(Photo Credit: Flickr user bewmies)