House Lawmakers Propose Bills to Counter Beijing’s Transnational Repression in the US
The measures would dedicate personnel, training, and resources to monitor transnational repression from authoritarian regimes and protect target groups.
House lawmakers have reintroduced three bipartisan bills to strengthen the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in countering the growing threat of repression from authoritarian regimes on U.S. soil.
This involves developing a training program to help identify instances of transnational repression, suspected perpetrators and potential targets. The training would also cover what information law enforcement personnel should routinely share with the private sector, including faith-based organizations, educational institutions, and communities that could fall prey to the state-sponsored coercion campaign, as well as personal safety practices they could take to mitigate the threats. It further clarifies resources available to assist with targets and victims’ short and long term needs both within the department and from other agencies.
The legislation also requires DHS’s branches for engagement, civil liberties, and intelligence and analysis to engage with law enforcement networks nationally and individuals and communities under threat to protect them from harm.
The respective chief sponsors of the bills are Reps. August Pfluger (R-Texas), Gabe Evans (R-Colo.), and Rep. Seth Magaziner (D-R.I.).
“As our adversaries continue to grow increasingly aggressive, conducting transnational repression against dissidents or journalists within the United States, we must address these threats and protect those who speak out against tyranny and human rights abuses abroad,” Pfluger said in a statement. “The hostile acts we are seeing across the country are a direct challenge to our nation’s sovereignty and infringe upon Americans’ civil liberties.”
Evans said he’s proud to be part of the bipartisan effort to support law enforcement agencies to push back against authoritarian regimes seeking to “undermine our nation’s sovereignty and individuals’ freedoms.”
“America will not tolerate these attacks,” he said.
Magaziner said the three bills together send a “clear, bipartisan message: the United States will always stand for freedom and against authoritarian intimidation.”
“Free speech is a cornerstone of American democracy, but too often, repressive regimes try to silence dissidents even after they’ve fled to the United States,” he said, adding that he wants his bill to give law enforcement the tools needed to identify and stop foreign state actors from harassing and threatening people on U.S. ground.
Transnational repression operations, particularly arising from China, have been in to the spotlight recently.