GOP bills would revoke passports for people involved with ISIS

Reps. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) and Ted Poe (R-Texas) have introduced bills that would allow the U.S. government to revoke passports of Americans involved with terrorist groups like the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

Poe’s measure, H.R. 5406, would authorize revocation or denial of passports to people affiliated with foreign terrorist organizations. The Texas Republican said it would help prevent individuals involved in groups like ISIS from returning to the U.S. and posing a threat to American civilians.

{mosads}”The Benedict Arnold traitors who have turned against America and joined the ranks of the terrorist army ISIS should lose all rights afforded to our citizens,” Poe said in a statement. “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.”

Meanwhile, Bachmann’s legislation, H.R. 5408, would amend existing law to include involvement in terrorist groups like ISIS as a reason for revoking individuals’ American citizenship and passports.

“Those who have joined a foreign terrorist organization have taken up arms against the United States and our very way of life. By turning against their country, their passports should be revoked and if they’re naturalized citizens, they should lose their citizenship,” Bachmann said.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) on Monday introduced a similar bill to revoke the U.S. citizenship of anyone fighting or providing support to terrorist groups that pose a threat to the U.S.

The “Big Four” congressional leaders — Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) — are slated to meet with President Obama at the White House Tuesday afternoon at 3:15 p.m. about the threat of ISIS.