No Hezbollah In Our Hemisphere Act
- Bill Number
- S. 842
- Origin Chamber
- Senate
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 1
- Policy Area
- International Affairs
- Status
- Introduced
- Latest Action
- 2025-04-28: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 53.
- Last Updated
- 2025-12-05T22:53:28Z
AI-Generated Summary
Purpose of the Legislation
The "No Hezbollah In Our Hemisphere Act" aims to combat the expansion of Hezbollah—a militant group backed by Iran—in Latin America by requiring the U.S. government to identify areas where the group operates freely as "terrorist sanctuaries" and to impose visa restrictions on officials from those areas. The goal is to pressure Latin American governments to designate Hezbollah as a terrorist organization, disrupt its networks, and limit its ability to fundraise, recruit, and engage in criminal activities like money laundering and smuggling.
Key Provisions
- Findings (Section 2): Congress states that Iran and Hezbollah have built networks in Latin America without significant opposition. Only a few countries (Argentina, Colombia, Guatemala, Honduras, and Paraguay) recognize Hezbollah as a terrorist group, limiting local enforcement. The group receives support from regimes like Venezuela's and focuses on criminal infiltration in places like Peru, Colombia, Chile, and the Tri-Border Area (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay).
- Sense of Congress (Section 3): Urges the Secretary of State to aggressively target Iranian proxies in the Western Hemisphere by demanding action from governments, collaborating internationally (e.g., through the Financial Action Task Force to "greylist" cooperating entities), helping Latin American countries build anti-terrorism laws, and encouraging them to follow Argentina's model for designating Hezbollah as a terrorist organization.
- Defined Term (Section 4): Specifies "appropriate congressional committees" as key Senate and House panels on judiciary, banking/finance, and foreign relations, ensuring oversight.
- Assessment of Terrorist Sanctuaries (Section 5): Within 180 days of enactment, the Secretary of State, working with intelligence, treasury, homeland security, justice, and other agencies, must evaluate if any Latin American country, region, or area qualifies as a "terrorist sanctuary" (defined in existing law as a place where terrorists operate with government tolerance or inaction). Factors include Hezbollah's freedom to fundraise, recruit, or hide, and government responses. Results must be reported to Congress.
- Visa Sanctions (Section 6):
- The President may bar government officials from designated sanctuaries from entering the U.S., revoking existing visas immediately and making them ineligible for future ones or immigration benefits.
- Exceptions apply if entry aids U.S. law enforcement or fulfills international obligations (e.g., UN headquarters agreements).
- Waivers are possible: case-by-case for individuals (up to 180 days) if vital to national security, or for entire jurisdictions (up to 1 year) if in the U.S. national interest; these require congressional reports with justifications and progress assessments for renewals.
- Sanctions can end if the official stops the activity, provides assurances against future involvement, or if termination serves U.S. security.
- The President must issue regulations to implement this.
- Sunset Clause (Section 7): All sanctions expire 5 years after enactment.
Significant Changes to Existing Law
This bill does not overhaul broad laws but adds targeted tools to the Foreign Relations Authorization Act (1988-1989) and Immigration and Nationality Act by:
- Mandating a specific assessment for Latin America-focused "terrorist sanctuaries," which builds on but narrows the existing definition to emphasize Hezbollah and other designated foreign terrorist organizations.
- Introducing visa revocation and inadmissibility specifically for officials of sanctuary jurisdictions, with structured waiver and termination processes, enhancing executive flexibility while requiring congressional notification—unlike more general immigration sanctions.
- No major amendments to core statutes; it leverages them for new, region-specific enforcement against Iranian proxies.
Potential Impacts
- On Government Agencies: Increases workload for the State Department (leading assessments and visa actions), Treasury (financial monitoring), Homeland Security, Justice Department, and intelligence agencies through required coordination and reporting. Could strain resources for rulemaking and oversight.
- On Citizens: Primarily affects foreign government officials from targeted Latin American areas by restricting their U.S. travel and benefits; U.S. citizens are indirectly protected through enhanced counterterrorism efforts but face no direct changes.
- On International Relations: May pressure Latin American nations to act against Hezbollah, potentially improving cooperation with allies like Argentina but straining ties with non-compliant governments (e.g., Venezuela). Could influence global forums on terrorism financing and encourage more designations of Hezbollah, affecting U.S. diplomacy in the Western Hemisphere.
Main Stakeholders Affected
- U.S. Government: Executive branch agencies (State, Treasury, etc.) for implementation; congressional committees for oversight and reporting.
- Latin American Governments and Officials: Countries potentially designated as sanctuaries (e.g., Venezuela, Peru, Colombia) and their officials face visa barriers unless they act against Hezbollah.
- Hezbollah and Affiliates: The group and its networks in Latin America, including Iranian proxies, Iranian government, and local criminal partners, through disrupted operations and increased scrutiny.
- International Bodies: Organizations like the Financial Action Task Force may see heightened U.S. involvement in greylisting entities.
- U.S. Allies: Countries like Argentina benefit from aligned policies; broader Latin American nations may need to update laws on terrorism.
Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications
- Legal: Relies on existing statutes for definitions (e.g., "terrorist sanctuary" under 22 U.S.C. 2656f), ensuring compatibility, but introduces discretionary presidential powers for designations, waivers, and terminations, which could lead to legal challenges over due process for affected individuals. Requires regulations within 180 days to avoid implementation gaps.
- Constitutional: Aligns with Congress's foreign affairs authority (Article I) and executive immigration powers (Article II), but waiver reporting enhances congressional checks, potentially balancing separation of powers. No direct free speech or due process issues for U.S. persons.
- Political: Signals U.S. commitment to countering Iranian influence in the Americas, potentially bipartisan (introduced by Sens. Curtis and Rosen) but could polarize relations with left-leaning Latin governments. The 5-year sunset provides a review mechanism, allowing future Congresses to extend or modify based on evolving threats.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Cosponsors (1)
Recent Actions
- 2025-04-28: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 53.
- 2025-04-28: Committee on Foreign Relations. Reported by Senator Risch with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. Without written report.
- 2025-04-28: Committee on Foreign Relations. Reported by Senator Risch with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. Without written report.
- 2025-03-27: Committee on Foreign Relations. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
- 2025-03-04: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
- 2025-03-04: Introduced in Senate
Bill Versions
- No Hezbollah In Our Hemisphere Act — issued 2025-03-04 — PDF (10 pages)
- No Hezbollah In Our Hemisphere Act — issued 2025-04-28 — PDF (20 pages)