DHS looks to prevent terrorist entry

Last week, officials from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) testified in a House Committee on Homeland Security hearing on preventing terrorist entry to the U.S. The Committee hearing focused on the new Task Force on Denying Terrorists Entry to the United States, which was established earlier this year.

The bipartisan task force was created with the goal to review of the government’s implementation of the Visa Waiver Program Improvement and Terrorist Travel Prevention Act of 2015, looking for possible ways in which the U.S. immigration system could be abused by foreign nationals intent on committing terrorist acts on U.S. soil.

The DHS testimony reviewed DHS’s role in preventing terrorists from entering the U.S., which involves the collaboration of multiple U.S. government agencies and international partners. In their testimony, DHS reported on the success of their Pre-Adjudicated Threat Recognition and Intelligence Operations Team (PATRIOT), and provided information on their vetting methods for the Visa Waiver Program.

The State Department Deputy Assistant Secretary for Visa Services and the U.S. Government Accountability Office Director of Homeland Security and Justice also testified at the hearing.

For more information about this testimony, please follow the link below.
Denying Terrorists Entry to the United States: Examining Visa Security, House Homeland Security Committee
Preventing Terrorists from Acquiring U.S. Visas, Department of Homeland Security