Topic: Isis Passports

A retrospective look at 2015 news reports highlights warnings that ISIS had acquired official passport printing machines in Syria. At the time, officials feared that terrorists could infiltrate Western countries using authentic-looking documents. The hosts compare these past "fear porn" cycles to current media narratives.

A 2015 ABC News report details how ISIS seized government passport printing machines in Syrian cities. The bulletin warns that fraudulent passports were used by suicide bombers in the Paris attacks to enter Europe as refugees. The hosts question why the current administration and media have stopped mentioning this specific security vulnerability during the travel ban debate.

Intelligence reports indicate that ISIS has acquired official passport printing machines and blank documents, allowing them to create authentic-looking travel papers. This development poses a significant security risk as it could allow operatives to enter the U.S. and Europe undetected.

A Daily Mail investigation highlights a thriving trade in forged Syrian passports in Turkish border towns. These documents allow non-Syrians and potential ISIS members to enter Europe by posing as refugees, exploiting the overwhelmed registration systems in Italy and Greece.

A Chicago teenager was arrested at O'Hare Airport for allegedly supporting ISIS, sparking a discussion on the "Dirty Dozen" Americans fighting in Syria who hold U.S. passports. Congressman Ruppersberger claimed ISIS has a billion dollars and sophisticated social media, while warning that the Khorasan Group is developing plastic explosives that can bypass TSA screening.

Texas Congressman Ted Poe introduced the "FTO Passport Revocation Act" to strip the passports of Americans fighting for ISIS. The hosts discuss the constitutionality of this move, noting that the Yale Law Journal previously argued there is no current legal authority to revoke passports for such reasons, including in the case of Edward Snowden.