Walz, Bachmann differ on tracking US ISIS fighters

White House officials say about 100 Americans have gone to Syria and Iraq to support or fight for the group that calls itself the Islamic State.

They won't say how many of those people are from Minnesota, and for now at least they're saying they doubt those who have made the journey pose a direct threat to the US. But those same officials say they're tracking such movements.

  At least two dead fighters for the Islamic State are reported to have had ties to Minnesota.

One fear is that American citizens who have gone to fight overseas could return to the United States and commit acts of terrorism here.

Still, shortly after a classified briefing from intelligence and homeland security officials, two Minnesotans in the House offered different views on whether the U.S. is approaching the matter in the right way.

Rep. Tim Walz, the DFLer who represents the 1st District, said he was satisfied that the government is keeping close tab on any Americans who have fought for the Islamic State

"They know who they are," he said.

6th District Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann isn't satisfied. She warned earlier this week that ISIS fighters with American passports could already be plotting attacks here.

"When you have American citizens who have joined the enemy and now they're returning to the United States, it's tragically naive to think that they wouldn't attempt a plan here in the United States," she said.

Bachmann has introduced legislation that would strip the any American who fights with ISIS of their passport and citizenship.

In an interview, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest emphasized that the Obama Administration is doing all that it can to both prevent Americans from joining ISIS and preventing those already with the group from returning to the U.S.

"There is an effort to try to shut down individuals who are considering traveling there," he said. "We're also obviously trying to monitor the path back."

Earnest wouldn't say whether the administration believes any Americans who have fought with ISIS have returned. And he  speculated that few, if any, of the American Islamic State fighters would present much of a threat to the United States.

"There is a line of thought that the way that these individuals demonstrate their commitment to this cause is that they go over there and to promise not to return home but rather to fight to the end for this cause they believe in," he said.

In the meantime, Earnest says the government is working closely with the Muslim-American community to discourage Americans from joining the fight in Syria and Iraq.