America is facing a new and dangerous enemy and we need to make sure our law enforcement officials have the tools they need to prevent an attack.

A major step that we can take is to close a loophole that allows U.S. citizens to train in a country like Syria or Iraq and then return to America with the intention to commit terrorist acts.

Currently, FBI officials do not have the authority to detain these individuals unless they can definitively prove they trained with ISIL or another terrorist group.  Because our intelligence in Syria or Iraq is limited, it is very difficult for the FBI to determine what these individuals are doing or whom they are meeting with while in these countries.  In the absence of such evidence, these individuals are allowed back into the United States, leaving the FBI a razor thin margin for error to thwart a possible terrorist attack.

This gap in the law forces the FBI to play defense instead of offense and does not discourage Americans from travelling to Syria or Iraq and then returning to the United States.

We need a solution to this problem that would require Americans who are travelling to Syria or Iraq to get a license for legitimate work through a reputable organization that the United States trusts.  Examples of legitimate work would be humanitarian work or journalism with an accredited news organization.  Individuals who fail to obtain a license before travelling to these countries could face a long prison sentence.

The current situation leaves the United States vulnerable to attack from a radicalized American who trains with terrorists and then returns home.  I firmly believe that giving U.S. officials the ability to proactively protect the homeland is in our nation’s best interest. We never want to be in a situation where we are forced to ask ourselves, “Did we do everything within reason and our power to prevent this attack?”