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Title 8, Aliens and NationalityRelease 119-110

§1733 Terrorist Lookout Committees

Title 8 › CHAPTER 15 — ENHANCED BORDER SECURITY AND VISA ENTRY REFORM › SUBCHAPTER III — VISA ISSUANCE › § 1733

Last updated Sep 22, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Secretary of State must make every U.S. mission abroad keep a terrorist lookout committee. The committee uses the mission’s staff to find known or possible terrorists, gather information about them, send that information to the right U.S. officials for immigration decisions, and put names into the proper lookout databases. The Secretary decides who sits on the committee. The committee must meet at least monthly and send a monthly report to the Secretary about its work, even if it found nothing. Funds may be provided as needed to carry out these duties.

Full Legal Text

Title 8, §1733

Aliens and Nationality, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Establishment
The Secretary of State shall require a terrorist lookout committee to be maintained within each United States mission to a foreign country.
(b)Purpose
The purpose of each committee established under subsection (a) shall be—
(1)to utilize the cooperative resources of all elements of the United States mission in the country in which the consular post is located to identify known or potential terrorists and to develop information on those individuals;
(2)to ensure that such information is routinely and consistently brought to the attention of appropriate United States officials for use in administering the immigration laws of the United States; and
(3)to ensure that the names of known and suspected terrorists are entered into the appropriate lookout databases.
(c)Composition; chair
The Secretary shall establish rules governing the composition of such committees.
(d)Meetings
Each committee established under subsection (a) shall meet at least monthly to share information pertaining to the committee’s purpose as described in subsection (b)(2).
(e)Periodic reports to the Secretary of State
Each committee established under subsection (a) shall submit monthly reports to the Secretary of State describing the committee’s activities, whether or not information on known or suspected terrorists was developed during the month.
(f)Repealed. Pub. L. 113–235, div. J, title VII, § 7034(i), Dec. 16, 2014, 128 Stat. 2624
(g)Authorization of appropriations
There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary to implement this section.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2014—Subsec. (f). Pub. L. 113–235 struck out subsec. (f). Text read as follows: “The Secretary of State shall submit a report on a quarterly basis to the appropriate committees of Congress on the status of the committees established under subsection (a) of this section.”

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

8 U.S.C. § 1733

Title 8, Aliens and Nationality

Last Updated

Sep 22, 2026

Release point: 119-110