Why our government must rise to the challenge of confronting terrorism

In the wake of this weekend’s events–both the bombing in New York and the series of knife attacks in Minnesota–Americans are rightfully concerned about the security of our nation. My colleagues and I are continuing to pray for the victims, their families, and law enforcement as they continue their investigations of the incidents.

As more and more evidence suggests that both attackers were inspired by radical Islam, this weekend serves as a sobering reminder that terrorism continues to be the top threat facing the United States, and we must remain vigilant. These dangers exist not only abroad, but in our own homeland. The attacks in San Bernardino, Orlando, New York, and others all included perpetrators who were inspired by the Islamic State while residing in the United States.

{mosads}However, as time goes on, we continue to see a disturbing trend of our federal government consistently failing to take this threat seriously.  There are a few specific areas in which we must do a better job of combatting terrorism in our homeland and abroad.

First, it is critical that we avoid creating a culture that prevents law enforcement from doing its job. We cannot promote or encourage an atmosphere where Americans are afraid to report suspicious behavior for fear of accusations of “racism,” or “profiling,” as neighbors of the San Bernardino shooter feared.  Many law enforcement officials rely on everyday Americans to be their eyes and ears, and we put our officers at disadvantage by systematically discouraging people from speaking up.

We should also heavily guard against this kind of culture taking root within our law enforcement agencies, where officials may feel handcuffed by the shackles of political correctness. Hampering officers from adequately doing their jobs would be a serious disservice to their work and those they seek to protect.

Second, the gaping loopholes in our federal immigration security system must be immediately closed. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) must get its house in order regarding its practices of vetting and admitting immigrants, especially those from countries with a strong presence of radical Islam. An inspector general audit report released this week revealed that the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services mistakenly granted citizenship to over 1,800 people from countries of concern to national security or with high rates of immigration fraud. The report stated that these people should have been deported as security risks. Additionally, the former head of the Department of Homeland Security, Tom Ridge, is on record as saying that our country does not have the infrastructure needed to adequately vet refugees coming into our country.

This is why my colleagues in the House Freedom Caucus and I are calling on House leadership to pass a law that will temporarily block federal funding to refugees from Syria, the Middle East, and North Africa until national security officials are better prepared to prevent terrorists from infiltrating our refugee process. Our government leaves Americans vulnerable to additional attacks if they fail to secure our immigration system.

Finally, this administration must develop a serious, detailed plan to defeat ISIS—the main perpetrator of radical Islamic ideology. The President’s failure to decisively confront the Islamic State has only enabled them to spread their message. Just this weekend, in probably the greatest example of this administration’s weak approach to ISIS, we saw the President’s own spokesperson claim that the U.S. is in a “narrative fight.”

As of now, this is exactly the problem–the United States is bringing a narrative to a gun fight. The complete disregard for human life that was displayed in New York and Minnesota this weekend has no place in America, and our nation must be vigilant while doing a better job of confronting the threat. I call on this administration to empower our law enforcement, adequately secure our homeland, and make a serious effort to defeat the Islamic State. Failing to do so could continue placing more Americans in harm’s way.

Rep. Mark Meadows represents North Carolina in the U.S. House of Representatives and serves on the Foreign Affairs Committee.