The Homeland Security Committee today passed U.S. Representative Seth Magaziner’s (RI-02) bipartisan legislation H.R.7439 – Strengthening State and Local Efforts to Combat Transnational Repression Act to crack down on coercive tactics by repressive foreign nations to forcibly silence political dissidents living in the United States.
Rep. Magaziner, who serves as Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Counterterrorism, Law Enforcement, and Intelligence, sponsored the legislation to train state and local law enforcement to identify and counter transnational repression by authoritarian regimes. The bill will be sent to Speaker Johnson for consideration on the House floor.
“America is built on free speech and open debate, but even on our own soil repressive foreign governments target dissidents with harassment, abduction, and violence,” said Rep. Seth Magaziner. “My bill ensures that state and local law enforcement get the training they need to identify, pursue, and investigate transnational repression in the communities they serve. We must send a message to any foreign governments who seek to threaten and harass people on U.S. soil for their political views: not here, not on our watch.”
More than 20 percent of governments around the world have reached beyond their borders to forcibly silence political dissidents – including on U.S. soil – according to data by Freedom House. In 2023, Freedom House reported 125 incidents of physical transnational impression that included assassinations, abductions, assaults, detentions, and unlawful deportations. The top five perpetrators last year were the governments of Russia, Cambodia, Myanmar, Turkmenistan, and China.
The House Committee on Homeland Security Counterterrorism Subcommittee has conducted hearings to explore this growing threat, gathering testimonies from victims including Enes Kanter Freedom, Dr. Bob Fu, and Masih Alinejad who have been targeted on U.S. soil by authoritarian regimes. One of the most high-profile cases in the United States involves Masih Alinejad, an Iranian journalist and women’s rights activist, who survived a thwarted kidnapping attempt in 2021 and assassination plot the following year by agents of the Iranian government.
Rep. Magaziner’s legislation requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish a transnational repression threat training program for state, local, tribal, campus, and territorial law enforcement, including Fusion Center personnel. The specialized training will help these law enforcement officers, who are the first line of defense in our communities, counter the threat of transnational repression and protect those seeking refuge from authoritarian regimes.
Rep. Magaziner is also the co-lead of two bipartisan complementary bills, H.R.7443 – Combating Transnational Repression Act of 2024 and H.R.7433 – Law Enforcement Support and Transnational Repression Hotline Act to establish a dedicated Transnational Repression Office within the Department of Homeland Security and provide a streamlined reporting process for Americans who believe they are a victim of transnational repression.
Watch Rep. Magaziner’s remarks during the Homeland Security Committee markup here.
Source: Office of Representative Seth Magaziner (RI-02)