Foreign Terrorist Fighter Family Reintegration Panel

Summary

An estimated 53,000 individual men, women, and minors from 80 countries traveled from around the world to support Islamic State activities between 2013 and 2019, including hundreds from the United States. Many brought their families with them or started families while in-theater. Following the collapse of the caliphate, many of these people – including women and minors – are now held in inhumane and dangerous conditions in detainee camps overseas. Across the past two presidential administrations, the U.S. has adopted and advocated for a policy of repatriation for many of these families. For children and those adults not convicted in the criminal justice system, the work of social reintegration – the processes that aim to foster a sense of inclusiveness and belonging in the community and reduce the risk of engagement or recidivism into violent extremism – is underway.

On Tuesday, March 27, 2023, the National Counterterrorism Innovation, Technology, and Education Center (NCITE) hosted a virtual panel discussion about the reintegration of foreign terrorist fighter families to launch a new report authored by NCITE and the Program on Extremism. The event included insights from:

• Austin Doctor, Director of Counterterrorism Research Initiatives at NCITE
• Andrew Mines, Research Fellow at the Program on Extremism
• Omar Mohammed, Research Fellow at the Program on Extremism and founder of Mosul Eye
• Julie Coleman, Judicial Affairs Officer at the United Nations