House lawmakers voted almost unanimously to pass legislation that “would establish international border security standards,” with a particular focus on countries plagued by terrorist movements.
“This legislation is about protecting America’s security at home and abroad,” Rep. Lee Zeldin, R-N.Y., who introduced the bill, wrote in a Facebook post on Monday. “Foreign fighter movement is a very serious challenge that has resulted in the well-recognized need for improved border security around the world and better information sharing between governments.”
The bill passed easily in the House Monday evening, 374-2.
The Counterterrorism Screening and Assistance Act represents another congressional attempt to prevent foreign fighters from entering the United States following the Paris terror attacks. It’s passage comes weeks after President Obama threatened to veto legislation that would effectively pause refugee travel from Syria until the administration could certify that the none of the incoming Syrians had ties to terrorism.
Zeldin’s bill would require national security officials to develop screening standards and coordinate with foreign governments in implementing those standards. It would also require that the State Department “monitor efforts of foreign governments to combat terrorism and foreign fighter travel and to suspend foreign assistance to countries not making significant efforts to comply,” according to his office.
Those protocols will also help prevent the spread of the Zika virus, according to Zeldin. “With the recent outbreak of the mosquito borne Zika virus, which has spread at rapid rates across South America, Central America and the Caribbean, and the number of Zika cases among travelers visiting or returning to the United States, we must take action now,” he wrote Monday.
Two libertarian-leaning Republicans, Michigan Rep. Justin Amash and Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie, voted against the legislation.
