The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“VIOLENT EXTREMISM” mentioning the U.S. Dept of State was published in the House of Representatives section on pages H8342-H8344 on Nov. 18, 2015.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
VIOLENT EXTREMISM
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Jody B. Hice of Georgia). Under the Speaker's announced policy of January 6, 2015, the gentlewoman from New Jersey (Mrs. Watson Coleman) is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority leader.
General Leave
Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the subject of my Special Order.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentlewoman from New Jersey?
There was no objection.
Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN. Mr. Speaker, last week, after many of us had returned to our homes across the country, while our constituents were enjoying the beginning of their weekend, Paris fell victim to one of the most violent terrorist attacks in recent memory.
Nohemi Gonzalez, an American student studying architecture abroad, was among those killed.
A day earlier, in Beirut, dozens of innocent lives were cut short in a coordinated attack on that city.
Earlier this year, an attack at Garissa University in Kenya left 147 dead.
And just yesterday, a suicide bomber killed 34 people in Yola, Nigeria. That attack was followed by two more today, driving the number of lives lost there to 49.
Before we go any further, Mr. Speaker, I would ask for a moment of silence to remember the lives of those who have been lost.
Mr. Speaker, the world is facing an incredible wave of violence with the single purpose of stoking fear. It is the kind of fear that keeps us from solving problems and that paralyzes us into inaction. It is the kind of fear that we are hearing in the calls to block refugees from seeking shelter here in the United States, violating all of our values because of an immediate emotional reaction.
The individuals who committed these atrocious acts of violence are counting on us to fall into that kind of fear, and that is why it is so important not to.
We must stand with our allies in Paris. We must stand with the innocent in Beirut and Garissa and Nigeria. We must stand firm in our role as world leaders and as part of an international coalition dedicated to bringing down ISIS.
We must stand for the values that have always been paramount in the United States, and one of those values is opening our doors to those seeking safety.
We cannot turn our backs to the humanitarian crisis facing the Syrians refugees. They are fleeing a conflict they are not responsible for and want no part in. They have lost their homes, their jobs, and members of their families. The only thing that many of them are seeking is a chance to start over. The vast majority of these refugees are women and children.
Even more importantly, agencies involved with allowing them to enter will prioritize survivors of violence and torture and those with severe illnesses.
If we can do it safely, verifying the identities and backgrounds of those seeking safety here in the United States, and developing systems to ensure that we don't let in anyone seeking to harm us, then we must help these refugees. It is not just our responsibility as a world leader; it is the right thing to do as a nation of immigrants.
While we can't remove every risk, we do have an intensive screening process in place, and refugees receive the greatest scrutiny of any individual coming here. The FBI's Terrorist Screening Center, the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of State, the Department of Defense, and the National Counterterrorism Center are all involved in the process of clearing these people.
As recent events have shown us, the threat of ISIS is real. The terror that they spread across the world, the violence they perpetrate, and their disregard for innocent human life are all despicable.
We have a chance right now to build something positive from these tragedies. We must unify as a global community against the evil of ISIS and in support of peace and freedom and humanity.
The only goal of ISIS is to destroy life. By giving refugees the opportunity to escape, we can save them.
Mr. Speaker, I know that I join all of my colleagues in prayer for the lives that were lost in Paris and elsewhere and for the hundreds more that were injured in the attacks. I pray for solace for those who have lost their loved ones and friends. I pray for peace around the world. I pray for the good that we can do, as a country, that will build consensus with coalitions and partners around the world.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Watson Coleman for her leadership in tonight's special order as we grapple with the horrendous terrorist attacks in Paris and Beruit as well as today's attack in Nigeria, claimed by Boko Haram.
In the past week alone, we have seen lives lost in Nigeria, France and Beruit.
Our prayers are with the victims and their families.
The Paris, France attacks last Friday, November 13, which claimed 128 lives and many more injured, as we know was claimed by ISIS.
There were also 43 killed during a suicide bombing in Beruit, Lebanon with over 200 injured.
Just today in Yola, Adamawa State, Nigeria, authorities inform us that an 11 year old suicide bomber targeted a market and detonated a bomb killing her, 30 others and injuring over 70 market goers.
The terrorist group Boko Haram claimed responsibility for the attacks as retaliation for President Buhari's commitment for combatting violent extremism in Nigeria.
The recent events underscore that we cannot let fear rule us but rather we must fight back against those who threaten our well being and security.
At the same time, we must work on creating resources for victims of terror and those who have been displaced as a result of conflict and sectarian violence.
This is why I introduced H. Res. 528, legislation that enjoyed bipartisan support of my colleagues including Representatives Chu from California, Dold from Illinois, Hahn from California, Kelly from Illinois, Fudge from Ohio, Watson Coleman from New Jersey, Sewell from Alabama, Bernie Thompson from Mississippi and my good friend Ms. Wilson of course from Florida.
My resolution seeks to create a Victims of Terror Protection Fund for the displaced refugees, migrants and victims of Boko Haram's terror in the region.
It is our American value to fight for those who are seeking refuge and needing protection.
As founder and Co-Chair of the Congressional Nigerian Caucus, I have been spending a lot of time on this issue since the Chibok incident.
The past week has been a very trying time for the world family as we grapple with the reality of terrorists wreaking havoc in our world.
One only needs to look at the current news events across the globe to appreciate the imperative of countering violent extremism, empowering and protecting victims of terror, refugees and displaced persons.
In the past three months alone, ISIS has claimed responsibility for crimes, atrocities and terroristic attacks, claiming lives in Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Egypt, Beirut and Paris.
Daesh-ISIL also known as ISIS and other terrorist networks that have pled allegiance to ISIS such as Boko Haram today pose the gravest extremist threat faced by our generation and those of our children.
But we must not be moved by their evil ways, for eventually, the arc of the moral universe always tips on the side of justice, of peace, of equity of the rule of law.
This is why I remain steadfast in my commitment to combatting violent extremism and protecting victims.
As a result of terrorism in the region and Boko Haram in particular in Nigeria, recent reports inform us that Nigeria has the highest number of displaced persons in Africa and the third largest in the world following Syria and Columbia.
The recent coordinated attacks in Paris, following military interventions by at least two United Nations Security Council permanent members: Russia and France, highlights the fact that we are dealing with an enemy of humanity and compels us to launch an international and coordinated strategy to diminish ISIS to protect our children and our children's children.
The recent events underscore the importance of a Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism to degrade and permanently destroy ISIS and its vitriolic ideology that is inflicting pain on innocent people.
The humanitarian crises triggered by sectarian and ideological violence has plagued our world at a disheartening rate, comparable to or surpassing the numbers from World War II according to some estimates.
According to one United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
(UNHCR's) annual Global Trends report, which is based on data compiled by governments and non-governmental partner organizations, and from the organization's own records, over 60 million people have been forcibly displaced across the globe.
Moreover, according to a report by the International Displacement Monitor Center, an estimated 3,300,000 persons have been displaced and 5,500 killed as a result of the violence wreaked by Boko Haram.
One United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) report asserts that as the most populous nation in Africa with 174,000,000 persons, 1,500,000 people have fled their homes to escape Boko Haram.
In April, 2014, 276 girls were terrorized and kidnapped from their dormitories in Chibok by Boko Haram.
In addition to the still missing Chibok girls, approximately 3,300,000 persons are displaced in the Lake Chad Basin which sits on the edge of the Sahara which encompasses Chad, Cameroon, Niger and Nigeria.
We must not forget these girls, refugees and displaced persons and must work to provide the support they will need to recover from the trauma they have suffered.
The victims will be in dire need of humanitarian assistance which the Victims of Terror Protection Fund can provide.
The Victims of Terror Protection Fund should be modeled after the cases of Khazistan and Equatorial Guinea where prior kleptocracy initiatives have been created to benefit communities and victims in need of support.
A kleptocracy is when a government in power exploits or steals national resources, which unfortunately has happened all too often across the globe.
The United States Department of Justice through its Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative has identified the forfeited ``Abacha loot,'' funds stolen by former Nigerian dictator Sanni Abacha.
As we understand it the ``Abacha loot'' is the largest kleptocracy forfeiture action ever brought in the United States resulting in a
$450,000,000 judgment of the forfeited assets facilitated by Justice's remarkable Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative.
The Abacha Administration embezzled Nigerian public funds under among other false claims, that the Administration was investing in national security measures to protect Nigeria and the Nigerian people.
As we all see now, as a result of or in part because of the Abacha Administration's failure to invest in and implement security measures, the security in Nigeria and the region is tenuous, with the country and region currently under continuous threat by the ISIS affiliated group Boko Haram.
Boko Haram and other sectarian terrorists have trafficked, kidnapped, murdered and caused the displacement of millions of children, women and men.
Recovered victims displaced by terrorist activity as well as refugees, migrants and internally displaced persons fleeing for their lives will be in dire need of protection and support.
A Victim of Terror Protection Fund can supply health aid, educational support, employment training, economic empowerment, dignity and overall improved social welfare of these victims.
I continue to have a deep appreciation of the patriotism, resilience, and commitment of the Nigerian people under the leadership of their newly democratically elected President Muhammadu Buhari.
As an emerging democracy, Nigeria is a country that has faced its set of challenges, conflicts, and contradictions analogous to the human condition itself.
Boko Haram and ISIS are existential threats to the human rights, well being and security of the Nigerian people, their regional neighbors and the global community in general with their penchant to commit genocide.
Part of the strategy to help address the scourge of Boko Haram's atrocity would be through the creation of a Victim of Terror Protection Fund and accessibility of military technical assistance to Nigeria and its regional neighbors pursuant to the UN Security Council and neighboring African countries call for accelerated military collaboration to combat this extremist group.
I commend the U.S. Administration's announcement that it is deploying 300 U.S. troops to Africa to set up a drone base to track fighters from Boko Haram, which continues to seek to destabilize Nigeria and neighboring countries during its blood thirsty assault on innocent people.
The U.S. forces' presence will be critical to combatting Boko Haram, which now appears to continue to wage its vicious insurgency in Nigeria and now spilling into neighboring Cameroon, Chad and Niger and leaving an estimated 20,000 people dead.
Our global strategy for ending the suffering, preventing displacement and creating durable solutions for refugees and displaced persons in Africa requires a multi-pronged strategy which would involve a sustained humanitarian response, government and civil society capacity building, and the creation of resilient political and security infrastructures and landscapes.
My proposed Victims of Terror Protection Fund is one of the strategies for addressing the growing African migrant and refugee crisis.
I commend President Obama's and President Buhari's commitment to Nigerian security and their collective efforts to tighten vigilance in vulnerable places.
I hope the United States continues to build a stronger alliance with President Buhari and Nigeria.
To succeed, at all our objectives to protect victims and combat violent extremism, in Nigeria, Syria and around the world, we must have continued U.S. support in protecting victims of terror, technical training, logistical and infrastructural capabilities and professionalizing its military force to battle Boko Haram.
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