Subject: Fwd: Hillary Clinton Lays Out Comprehensive Plan To Bolster Homeland Security
From: Adrienne Elrod <[email-masked]>
To: Adrienne Elrod <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 15 Dec 2015 18:51:55 -0500

*Hillary Clinton Lays Out Comprehensive Plan To Bolster Homeland Security*

During remarks in Minneapolis Tuesday, Hillary Clinton laid out a
“360-degree strategy to keep America safe” - a plan for protecting the
homeland from terrorist threats, including domestic radicalization. Her
plan would seek to counter terrorists from every angle and stop every step
in the process that could lead to another San Bernardino, from recruitment
to training to planning to attacks.

“It’s not enough to contain ISIS. We must defeat ISIS.  Break its momentum
and then its back.  And not just ISIS, but the broader radical jihadist
movement that also includes al Qaeda and offshoots like al Shabaab in
Somalia,” Clinton said.

Her homeland security plan is just one element of the three-pronged
strategy that she laid out at the Council for Foreign Relations last month
for defeating ISIS and combating terrorism globally.

In the wake of the horrific attacks in San Bernardino, Clinton reiterated
her call for the nation to come together and show resolve, as the United
States has done in the face of so many challenges before.

“The threat we face is daunting.  But America has overcome big challenges
many times before.  Throughout our history, we've stared into the face of
evil and refused to blink.  We beat Fascism, won the Cold War, brought
Osama bin Laden to justice. So no one should ever underestimate the
determination of the American people.  And I am confident we will once
again choose resolve over fear.  And we will defeat these new enemies, just
as we've defeated those who've threatened us in the past.” Clinton
continued.

Clinton outlined a strategy that counters each step in the process of a
potential terrorist attack on the homeland. She called for: redoubling
efforts to shut down ISIS recruitment in the United States, especially by
denying them virtual territory; cracking down on would-be jihadists from
getting training overseas, and stopping foreign terrorists from coming
here, in part by strengthening visa security; ensuring we can better
discover and disrupt plots before they can be carried out; supporting law
enforcement officers who risk their lives to prevent and respond to
attacks; and empowering Muslim-American communities on the front-lines of
the fight against radicalization.

*Please see a full transcript of the remarks below: *

“Thank you.  Thank you all very much.  Thank you.  Thank you.

“I'm delighted to be here at this great university, one of the premier
public institutions of higher education in our entire country.  Yes,
indeed.  Just, you know, one of those statements of fact that deserves a
response.

“I want to thank my longtime friend, Vice President Mondale, for his kind
words.  His support in this campaign means a great deal to me personally,
because I admire so much his service to our country.  He is a great
Minnesotan and a great American, and we're so privileged to have him with
us today.

“I also want to acknowledge a few of the other elected officials who are
here.  I am, of course absolutely delighted to be joined by former
colleagues and friends, your senators, Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken, who
are quite the dynamic duo for your state.  And I am grateful to them for
everything they're doing and for their help and support of my campaign.

“I also want to thank Tina Smith, your lieutenant governor, and Steve
Simon, your secretary of state.

“And I understand that Betsy Hodges is here, Mayor of Minneapolis.

“And I also want to acknowledge the dean of the Humphries School, Eric
Schwartz.  Eric was my top advisor on refugee issues at the State
Department.  I also had the great privilege of working with him when he was
on the National Security Council during my husband's administration.  You
know, he brings a mix of expertise and empathy that has been conspicuously
missing from much of our public debate.

“And I am grateful he is here today, but I'm also a little jealous that all
of you here at the university get to have the benefit of his experience.

“You know, over the past several months, I have listened to the problems
that keep American families up at night.  Now, most people don't expect
life to be easy, but they do want more security, a good-paying job that
lets you afford a middle class lifestyle, health care you can count on, a
little bit put away for your retirement.

“Being secure also means being safe, safe at home, at school, at work.  And
today, I want to talk about how we keep our country safe from a threat
that's on everyone's minds, the threat of terrorism.

“But I want to begin by saying, we cannot give in to fear.  We can't let it
stop us from doing what is right and necessary to make us safe, and doing
it in way that is consistent with our values.

“We cannot let fear push us into reckless actions that end up making us
less safe.  Americans are going to have to act with both courage and
clarity.

“Now, as we all know, on December 2nd, two shooters killed 14 people at a
holiday party in San Bernardino, California.

“Sadly, in America in 2015, turning on the news and hearing about a mass
shooting is not unusual.  But this one turned out to be different, because
these killers were a husband and wife inspired by ISIS.

“Americans have experienced terrorism before.  On 9/11, we learned that
terrorists in Afghanistan could strike our homeland.  From Fort Hood to
Chattanooga to the Boston Marathon, we saw people radicalized here carrying
out deadly attacks.

“But San Bernardino felt different.  Maybe it was the timing, coming so
soon after Paris.  Maybe it was how random it seemed, a terrorist attack in
a suburban office park, not a high-profile target or symbol of American
power.  It made us all feel it could have been anywhere, at any time.

“The phrase "active shooter" should not be one we have to teach our
children.  But it is.

“And now we are all grappling with what all this means for our future, for
our safety, our sense of well-being, and our trust and connections with our
neighbors.  We want to be open-hearted, and we want to celebrate America's
diversity, not fear it.

“And while we know the overwhelming majority of people here and around the
world hate ISIS and love peace, we do have to be prepared for more
terrorists plotting attacks.

“Just yesterday, a man in Maryland was charged with receiving thousands of
dollars from ISIS for use in planning an attack.  And here in Minnesota,
authorities have charged ten men with conspiring to provide material
support to ISIS.

“But in the Twin Cities, you have also seen firsthand how communities come
together to resist radicalization:  local imams condemning terrorist
violence, local artists and activists pushing back against terrorist
propaganda.

“I just met with a group of community leaders who told me about some of the
work and the challenges that they are dealing with.

“As the first Somali-American police sergeant in Minnesota, and probably in
the country, said recently, "Safety is a shared responsibility, so we have
to work together."

“The threat we face is daunting.  But America has overcome big challenges
many times before.  Throughout our history, we've stared into the face of
evil and refused to blink.  We beat Fascism, won the Cold War, brought
Osama bin Laden to justice.

“So no one should ever underestimate the determination of the American
people.  And I am confident we will once again choose resolve over fear.
And we will defeat these new enemies, just as we've defeated those who've
threatened us in the past.

“Because it is not enough to contain ISIS, we must defeat ISIS, break its
momentum and then its back.  And not just ISIS, but the broader radical
jihadist movement that also includes al Qaeda and offshoots like al Shabaab
in Somalia.

“Now, waging and winning this fight will require serious leadership.  But
unfortunately, our political debate has been anything but serious.

“We can't afford another major ground war in the Middle East.  That's
exactly what ISIS wants from us.  Shallow slogans don't add up to a
strategy.  Promising to carpet bomb until the desert glows doesn't make you
sound strong, it makes you sound like you're in over your head.  Bluster
and bigotry are not credentials for becoming Commander-in-Chief.

“And it is hard to take seriously senators who talk tough but then hold up
key national security nominations, including the top official at the
Treasury Department responsible for disrupting terrorist financing.

“Every day that's wasted on partisan gridlock could put Americans in
danger.  So, yes, we need a serious discussion.  And that's why in a speech
last month before the Council on Foreign Relations I laid out a three-part
plan to defeat ISIS and the broader extremist movement.

“One, defeat ISIS in the Middle East by smashing its stronghold, hitting
its fighters, leaders, and infrastructure from the air, and intensifying
support for local forces who can pursue them on the ground.

“Second, defeat them around the world by dismantling the global network of
terror that supplies radical jihadists with money, arms, propaganda, and
fighters.

“And third, defeat them here at home by foiling plots, disrupting
radicalization, and hardening our defenses.

“Now, these three lines of effort reinforce one another.  So we need to
pursue all of them at once, using every pillar of American power.

“It will require skillful diplomacy to continue Secretary Kerry's efforts
to encourage political reconciliation in Iraq and political transition in
Syria, enabling more Sunni Arabs and Kurdish fighters to take on ISIS on
both sides of the border, and to get our Arab and Turkish partners to
actually step up and do their part.

“It will require more U.S. and allied airpower, and a broader target set
for strikes by planes and drones, with proper safeguards.

“It will require Special Operations units to advise and train local forces
and conduct key counterterrorism missions.

“What it will not require is tens of thousands of American combat troops.
That is not the right action for us to take in this situation.

“So there is a lot to do, and today, I want to focus on the third part of
my plan, how we defend our country and prevent radicalization here at
home.

“We need a comprehensive strategy to counter each step in the process that
can lead to an attack like the one in San Bernardino.

“First, we have to shut down ISIS recruitment in the United States,
especially online.

“Second, stop would-be jihadists from getting training overseas, and stop
foreign terrorists from coming here.

“Third, discover and disrupt plots before they can be carried out.

“Fourth, support law enforcement officers who risk their lives to prevent
and respond to attacks.

“And fifth, empower our Muslim-American communities, who are on the
front-lines of the fight against radicalization.

“This is a 360-degree strategy to keep America safe, and I want to walk
through each of the elements, from recruitment to training to planning to
execution.

“First, shutting down recruitment.  We have to stop jihadists from
radicalizing new recruits in-person and through social media, chat rooms,
and what's called the "Dark Web."

“To do that, we need stronger relationships between Washington, Silicon
Valley, and all of our great tech companies and entrepreneurs.  American
innovation is a powerful force, and we have to put it to work defeating
ISIS.

“That starts with understanding where and how recruitment happens.  Our
security professionals need to more effectively track and analyze ISIS's
social media posts and map jihadist networks, and they need help from the
tech community.

“Companies should redouble their efforts to maintain and enforce their own
service agreements and other necessary policies to police their networks,
identifying extremist content and removing it.

Now, many are already doing this, and sharing those best practices more
widely is important.

“At the State Department, I started an interagency center to combat violent
jihadist messages, to have a better way to communicate on behalf of our
values, and to give young people drawn to those messages an alternative
narrative.

“We recruited specialists fluent in Arabic, Urdu, and Somali to wave online
battles with extremists to counter their propaganda.

“Now, those efforts have not kept pace with the threat, so we need to step
up our game, in partnership with the private sector and credible moderate
voices outside government.

“But that's just some of what we have to do.  Experts from the FBI, the
intelligence community, Homeland Security, DOD, the State Department, and
the technology industry should work together to develop a unified national
strategy to defeat ISIS in cyberspace, using all of our capabilities to
deny jihadists virtual territory, just as we work to deny them actual
territory.

“And at the same time, we also have to do more to address the challenge of
radicalization, whatever form it takes.

“It's imperative that the Saudis, the Qataris, the Kuwaitis and others stop
their citizens from supporting radical schools, madrassas and mosques
around the world, once and for all, and that should be the top priority in
all of our discussions with these countries.

“Now, second, we have to prevent ISIS recruits from training abroad, and
prevent foreign jihadists from coming here.

“Most urgent is stemming the flow of fighters from Europe and America to
Iraq and Syria, and then back home again.

“The United States and our allies need to know the identities of every
fighter who makes that trip, and then share information with each other in
real time.

“Right now, European nations don't always alert each other when they turn
away a suspected extremist at the border or when a passport is stolen.
They have to dramatically improve intelligence sharing and counterterrorism
cooperation.  And we're ready to help them do that.

“We also need to take down the network of enablers who help jihadists
finance and facilitate their travel, forge documents, and evade detection.
And the United States and our allies should commit to revoke the passports
and visas of jihadists who have gone to join ISIS or other groups, and
bring the full force of law against them.

“As I've said before, the United States has to take a close look at our
visa programs.  And I am glad the administration and Congress are stepping
up scrutiny in the wake of San Bernardino.  And that should include
scrutinizing applicants' social media postings.  We also should dispatch
more Homeland Security agents to high-risk countries to better investigate
visa applicants.

“For many years, America has waived visa requirements for travelers from
countries with reliable security procedures, including key allies in Europe
and Asia.  That makes sense.  But we also have to be smart.  Except for
limited exceptions like diplomats and aid workers, anyone who has traveled
in the past five years to a country facing serious problems with terrorism
and foreign fighters should have to go through a full visa investigation,
no matter where they're from.

“We also have to be vigilant in screening and vetting refugees from Syria,
guided by the best judgment of our security and diplomatic professionals.
Rigorous vetting already takes place while these refugees are still
overseas, and it's a process that historically takes 18 to 24 months.

But Congress needs to provide enough resources to ensure we have sufficient
personnel deployed to run the most thorough possible process.

“And just as important, we cannot allow terrorists to intimidate us into
abandoning our values and our humanitarian obligations.

“Turning away orphans, applying a religious test that discriminates against
Muslims, slamming the door on every single Syrian refugee; that is not who
we are.  We are better than that.

“It would be a cruel irony indeed if ISIS can force families from their
homes and then also prevent them from finding new ones.  So after rigorous
screening, we should welcome families fleeing Syria just as the Twin Cities
and this state have welcomed previous generations of refugees, exiles, and
immigrants.

“Of course, the key is to prevent terrorists also from exploiting our
compassion and endangering our security.  But we can do this.  And I think
we must.

“Third, we have to discover and disrupt jihadist plots before they can be
carried out.  This is going to take better intelligence collection,
analysis, and sharing.  I've proposed an "intelligence surge" against ISIS
that includes more operations officers and linguists, enhancing our
technical surveillance of overseas targets, intercepting terrorist
communications, flying more reconnaissance missions to track terrorists'
movements, and developing even closer partnerships with other intelligence
services.

“President Obama recently signed the USA Freedom Act, which was passed by a
bipartisan majority in Congress.  It protects civil liberties while
maintaining capabilities that our intelligence and law enforcement agencies
need to keep us safe.  However, the new law is now under attack from
presidential candidates on the left and right.  Some would strip away
crucial counterterrorism tools, even with appropriate judicial and
congressional oversight.  Others seem eager to go back to discredited
practices of the past.

“I don't think we can afford to let either view prevail.  Now, encryption
of mobile devices and communications does present a particularly tough
problem with important implications for security and civil liberties.  Law
enforcement and counterterrorism professionals warn that impenetrable
encryption may make it harder for them to investigate plots and prevent
future attacks.  On the other hand, there are very legitimate worries about
privacy, network security, and creating new vulnerabilities that bad actors
can exploit.

“I know there's no magic fix to this dilemma that will satisfy all these
concerns.  But we can't just throw up our hands.  The tech community and
the government have to stop seeing each other as adversaries and start
working together to keep us safe from terrorists.   And even as we make
sure law enforcement officials get the tools they need to prevent attacks,
it's essential that we also make sure jihadists don't get the tools they
need to carry out attacks.

“It defies common sense that Republicans in Congress refuse to make it
harder for potential terrorists to buy guns.  If you're too dangerous to
fly, you're too dangerous to buy a gun, period.   And we should insist on
comprehensive background checks and close loopholes that allow potential
terrorists to buy weapons online or at gun shows.  And I think it's time to
restore the ban on assault weapons and high capacity magazines.

“I know this will drive some of our Republican friends a little crazy.
You'll probably hear it tonight.  They will say that guns are a totally
separate issue, nothing to do with terrorism.  Well, I have news for them,
terrorists use guns to kill Americans.  And I think we should make it a lot
harder for them from to do that ever again.

“And there's a question, a question they should be asked:  Why don't the
Republican candidates want to do that?   You see, I have this old fashioned
idea that we elect a President in part, in large part, to keep us safe,
from terrorists, from gun violence, from whatever threatens our families
and communities.  And I'm not going to let the gun lobby or anyone else
tell me that's not the right path for us to go down.

“Now, the fourth element in my strategy is supporting law enforcement
officers who risk their lives to prevent and respond to terrorist attacks.

“In San Bernardino, city, county, state, and federal authorities acted with
speed and courage to prevent even more loss of life.  Like Detective Jorge
Lozano, a 15-year police veteran, who assured terrified civilians, "I'll
take a bullet before you do."  There is no limit to the gratitude we owe to
law enforcement professionals like that Detective Lozano who run toward
danger to try to save lives.  And not just in the immediate wake of an
attack.  Our police, firefighters, and emergency responders will keep
putting their lives on the line long after the cameras move on.

“It's disgraceful that Congress has thus far failed to keep faith with
first responders suffering from the lasting health effects of 9/11.  Many
of them were men and women I was so proud to represent as a Senator from
New York.  The Zadroga 9/11 Health Act never should have been allowed to
lapse.  It looks like Majority Leader Mitch McConnell may have finally
dropped his opposition.  And I hope the American people will hold him to
that.  And we will continue to honor the service and sacrifice of those who
responded to the worst terrorist attack in our history.

“We have to make sure that local law enforcement has the resources and
training they need to keep us safe.  And they should be more closely synced
up with national counterterrorism experts, including with better use of
"fusion centers" that serve as clearinghouses for intelligence and
coordination.

“And we need to strengthen our defenses and our resilience wherever we're
vulnerable, whether it's "soft targets" like shopping malls or
higher-profile targets like airports, railways, or power plants.  We have
to build on the progress of the Obama Administration in locking down loose
nuclear materials, and other WMD, so they never fall into the hands of
terrorists who seek them actively around the world.

“So we should be providing the Department of Homeland Security with the
resources it needs to stay one step ahead, not trying to privatize key
functions, like TSA, as some Republicans have proposed.

“And it's important for us to recognize that when we talk about law
enforcement, we have made progress in being sure that our federal
authorities share information with our state and local authorities, but
that was an issue I tackled after 9/11, and we have to stay really vigilant
so that information is in the hands where it needs to be.

“Finally, the fifth element in the strategy is empowering Muslim-American
communities who are on the front-lines of the fight against
radicalization.  There are millions of peace-loving Muslims living,
working, raising families, and paying taxes in our country.  These
Americans may be our first, last, and best defense against home grown
radicalization and terrorism.  They are the most likely to recognize the
insidious effects of radicalization before it's too late, intervene to help
set a young person straight.  They are the best positioned to block
anything going forward.

“That's why law enforcement has worked so hard since 9/11 to build up trust
and strong relationships within Muslim-American communities.  Here in the
Twin Cities, you have an innovative partnership that brings together
parents, teachers, imams, and others in the Somali-American community with
law enforcement, non-profits, local businesses, mental health professionals
and others to intervene with young people who are at risk.

“It's called the Building Community Resilience Pilot Program, and it
deserves increased support.  It has not gotten the financial resources that
it needs to do everything the people involved in it know they can do.  And
we've got to do a better job of supporting it.

“Now I know that like many places across the country, there's more work to
do to increase trust between communities and law enforcement.  Just last
month, I know here a young African American man was fatally shot by a
police officer.  And I understand an investigation is underway.  Whatever
the outcome, tragedies like this raise hard questions about racial justice
in America and put at risk efforts to build the community relationships
that help keep us safe from crime and from terrorism.

“When people see that respect and trust are two-way streets, they're more
likely to work hand-in-hand with law enforcement.  One of the mothers of
the 10 men recently charged with conspiring with terrorists said, "We have
to stop the denial," she told other parents that.  "We have to talk to our
kids and work with the FBI."  That's a message we need to hear from leaders
within Muslim-American communities across our country.

“But we also want to highlight the successes in Muslim American
communities, and there are so many of them.  I just met with the first
Somali-American council member of the City Council here.  And he was
proudly telling me how much change Somali immigrants, now Muslim-Americans
have made in parts of the city and neighborhoods that had been pretty much
hollowed out.  Let's look at the successes.

“If we're going to full integrate everyone into America, then we need to be
seeing all their contributions, too.  And that is one of the many reasons
why we must all stand up against offensive, inflammatory, hateful,
anti-Muslim rhetoric.  You know, not only do these comments cut against
everything we stand for as Americans, they are also dangerous.

“As the Director of the FBI told Congress recently, anything that erodes
trust with Muslim-Americans makes the job of law enforcement more
difficult.  We need every community invested in this fight, not alienated
and sitting on the sidelines.

“One of the community leaders I met with told me that a lot of the children
in the community are now afraid to go to school.  They're not only afraid
of being perceived as a threat, they are afraid of being threatened because
of who they are.  This is such a open-hearted and generous community, I
hope there will be even more efforts perhaps under the aegis of the
university and certainly Governor Dayton and others, to bring people
together to reassure members of the community, particularly children and
teenagers that they are welcome, invited and valued here in this city and
state.

“Now Donald Trump's proposal to ban all Muslims from entering the United
States has rightly sparked outrage across our country and around the
world.  Even some of the other Republican candidates are saying he's gone
too far.  But the truth is, many of those same candidates have also said
disgraceful things about Muslims.  And this kind of divisive rhetoric
actually plays into the hands of terrorists.  It alienates partners and
undermines moderates we need around the world in the fight against ISIS.

“You know, you hear a lot of talk from some of the other candidates about
coalitions.  Everyone seems to want one.  But there's not nearly as much
talk about what it actually takes to build a coalition and make it work.  I
know how hard this is because I've done it.  And I can tell you, insulting
potential allies doesn't make it any easier.

“And demonizing Muslims also feeds a narrative that jihadists use to
recruit new followers around the world, that the United States is at war
with Islam.  As both the Pentagon and the FBI have said in the past week,
we cannot in any way lend credence to that twisted idea.  This is not a
clash of civilizations.  It's a clash between civilization and barbarism
and that's how it must be seen and fought.

“Some will tell you that our open society is a vulnerability in the
struggle against terrorism.  I disagree.  I believe our tolerance and
diversity are at the core of our strength.  At a Naturalization ceremony
for new citizens today in Washington, President Obama noted the tension
throughout our history between welcoming or rejecting the stranger.  It is,
he said, about the meaning of America, what kind of country do we want to
be?  And it's about the capacity of each generation to honor the creed as
old as our founding, E Pluribus Unum.  Out of many we are one.

“President Obama is right, and it matters.  It's no coincidence that
American Muslims have long been better integrated and less susceptible to
radicalization than Muslims in less welcoming countries.  We can't give in
to demagogues who play on our basest instincts.  We must instead rely on
the principles written into our American DNA.  Freedom.  Equality.
Opportunity.

“America is strongest when all our people believe they have a stake in our
country and our future, no matter where they're from, what they look like,
how they worship, or who they love.  Our country was founded by people
fleeing religious persecution.  As George Washington put it, the United
States gives "to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance."  So to
all our Muslim-American brothers and sisters, this is your country too.
And I am proud to be your fellow American.

“And I want to remind us, particularly our Republican friends, that George
W. Bush was right.  Six days after 9/11 he went to a Muslim community
center and here's what he said, those who feel like they can intimidate our
fellow citizens to take their anger don't represent the best of America,
they represent the worst of human kind, and they should be ashamed of that
kind of behavior.

“So if you want to see the best of America, you need look no further than
Army Captain Humayun Khan.  He was born in the United Arab Emirates.  He
moved to Maryland as a small child, and later graduated from the University
of Virginia, before enlisting in the U.S. Army.

“In June 2004, he was serving in Iraq.  One day, while his infantry unit
was guarding the gates of their base, a suspicious vehicle appeared.
Captain Khan told his troops to get back, but he went forward.  He took ten
steps toward the car before it exploded.  Captain Khan was killed, but his
unit was saved by his courageous acts.  Captain Khan was posthumously
awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart.  He was just 27 years old.

“‘We still wonder what made him take those 10 steps," Khan's father said in
a recent interview. "Maybe that's the point," he went on, "where all the
values, all the service to country, all the things he learned in this
country kicked in.  It was those values that made him take those 10 steps.
Those 10 steps told us we did not make a mistake in moving to this
country," his father finished.

“As hard as this is, it's time to move from fear to resolve.  It's time to
stand up and say, ‘We are Americans.’  We are the greatest nation on earth
not in spite of the challenges we've faced, but because of them.  Americans
will not buckle or break.  We will not turn on each other or turn on our
principles.  We will pursue our enemies with unyielding power and purpose.
We will crush their would-be caliphate and counter radical jihadism
wherever it takes root.  We're in it for the long haul.  And we'll stand
taller and stronger than they can possibly imagine.

“That's what we do here.  It's who we are.  That's how we'll win, by
looking at one another with respect, with concern, with commitment.  That's
the America that I know makes us all so proud to be a part of.

“Thank you all very much.”

-- 

Adrienne K. Elrod
Director of Strategic Communications & Amplification
Hillary For America
*www.hillaryclinton.com <http://www.hillaryclinton.com>*
@adrienneelrod