U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., paired up with U.S. Sen. Christopher Coons, D-Del., on Tuesday to ensure the U.S. and other nations work together in increasing security in international airports.
Rubio, who sits on both the Senate Foreign Affairs and Intelligence Committees, and Coons, who also sits on the Foreign Relations Committee, brought out the “Counterterrorism Screening and Assistance Act” which would make the White House draft a plan to help other countries ensure terrorists are detained at their airports. The resolution would also ensure the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the State Department speed up screening and security systems to countries that are vulnerable to terrorism and make those two departments send annual reports to Congress.
“In recent years, too many radicalized individuals have been able to travel back and forth without being detected or interdicted by authorities,” Rubio said as he brought out the bill on Tuesday. “This bipartisan legislation would address that vulnerability, enabling the United States, in cooperation with foreign partners, to close loopholes in international airport security, better track these terrorists, and prevent them from traveling internationally.”
“Bolstering other nations’ capabilities to identify, monitor, and arrest potential terrorists will improve the security of American citizens abroad and minimize the possibility of foreign fighters traveling to the United States,” said Coons. “Our bill is a proactive, low-cost, and quantifiable effort to improve American security and strengthen the borders of allies and partners.”
The House version is sponsored by U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin, R-NY. U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, and U.S. Rep. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., are original co-sponsors in the House.
The bill was brought out in February and has been sent to the Foreign Affairs, Homeland Security and Judiciary committees.
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