What This Bill Does
This bill tells the Secretary of State to report to Congress about whether four Mexican drug cartels should be labeled as foreign terrorist organizations (groups that use violence for political purposes and are not based in the United States). The bill specifically names the Gulf Cartel, the Cartel Del Noreste, the Cartel de Sinaloa, and the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion. Congress believes these groups meet the legal standards for this terrorist designation.
Who It Affects
The Secretary of State, the Director of National Intelligence, the House of Representatives committees, and the Senate committees listed in the bill. The bill also applies to drug cartels and any groups or factions within those cartels.
Key Provisions
• The Secretary of State must designate the four named Mexican drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations under the immigration law (Sec. 2(b)).
• The Secretary of State must submit a detailed report to Congress within 30 days of the law passing that explains which criteria each cartel meets for terrorist designation (Sec. 2(c)(1)(A)).
• If the Secretary decides a cartel does not meet the legal criteria for terrorist designation, the Secretary must provide a detailed explanation of which standards the cartel failed to meet (Sec. 2(c)(1)(B)).
• The Secretary must designate any additional cartels listed in the report that meet the legal standards for terrorist designation within 30 days after submitting the report (Sec. 2(c)(2)).
• The report must be available in electronic form only but can include a classified section (information restricted for national security reasons) (Sec. 2(c)(3)).
What Changes
If this becomes law, the Secretary of State must complete and submit a report to Congress analyzing these four cartels. The report will explain whether each cartel meets the legal standards for foreign terrorist organization status. Based on this report, the Secretary may officially designate these cartels as foreign terrorist organizations.
Important Definitions
The bill does not define any terms explicitly.
I
118TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION H. R. 1564
To direct the Secretary of State to submit to Congress a report on the
designation of the Gulf Cartel, the Cartel Del Noreste, the Cartel de
Sinaloa, and the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion as foreign terrorist
organizations, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MARCH 10, 2023
Mr. ROY (for himself, Mrs. MCCLAIN, Mr. TIFFANY, Mrs. MILLER of Illinois,
Mr. CLOUD, Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana, Mr. GOODEN of Texas, Mr.
BIGGS, Mr. CARTER of Texas, Mr. GOSAR, Mr. DONALDS, Mr. GOOD of
Virginia, Mr. ZINKE, Mr. OGLES, Mr. BRECHEEN, Mr. NORMAN, Ms.
VAN DUYNE, Mr. STEUBE, Mr. BOST, Mr. BURGESS, and Mr. BABIN)
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the
Judiciary
A BILL
To direct the Secretary of State to submit to Congress a
report on the designation of the Gulf Cartel, the Cartel
Del Noreste, the Cartel de Sinaloa, and the Cartel de
Jalisco Nueva Generacion as foreign terrorist organiza-
tions, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
1
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
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This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Drug Cartel Terrorist
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Designation Act’’.
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SEC. 2. REPORT ON DESIGNATION OF CERTAIN DRUG CAR-
1
TELS AS FOREIGN TERRORIST ORGANIZA-
2
TIONS.
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(a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con-
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gress that each of the drug cartels set forth in subsection
5
(b) meets the criteria for designation as a foreign terrorist
6
organization as set forth in section 219 of the Immigration
7
and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1189).
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(b) DESIGNATION.—The Secretary of State shall des-
9
ignate each of the following Mexican drug cartels as a for-
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eign terrorist organization under such section 219:
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(1) The Gulf Cartel.
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(2) The Cartel Del Noreste.
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(3) The Cartel de Sinaloa.
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(4) The Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion.
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(c) REPORT.—
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(1) REPORT
REQUIRED.—Not later than 30
17
days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the
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Secretary of State, in consultation with the Director
19
of National Intelligence, shall submit to the appro-
20
priate committees of Congress—
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(A) a detailed report on each of the drug
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cartels listed in subsection (b) and any other
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cartels the Secretary may identify, including the
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criteria met for designation as a foreign ter-
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rorist organization as set forth in section 219
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•HR 1564 IH
of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8
1
U.S.C. 1189); and
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(B) for each of the cartels designated
3
under subsection (b), if the Secretary deter-
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mines that the drug cartel does not meet the
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criteria set forth under such section 219, a de-
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tailed justification as to which criteria have not
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been met.
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(2) DESIGNATION OF ADDITIONAL CARTELS.—
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Not later than 30 days after the submission of the
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report the Secretary shall designate any cartel or
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any faction thereof as a foreign terrorist organiza-
12
tion listed in the report that met the criteria for des-
13
ignation as a foreign terrorist organization as set
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forth in section 219 of the Immigration and Nation-
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ality Act (8 U.S.C. 1189).
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(3) FORM.—The report required by paragraph
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(1) shall—
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(A) be submitted in unclassified form, but
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may include a classified annex; and
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(B) be made available only in electronic
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form and shall not be printed, except if a print-
22
ed copy is requested by an office of the legisla-
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tive branch.
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•HR 1564 IH
(4) APPROPRIATE COMMITTEES OF CONGRESS
1
DEFINED.—In this subsection, the term ‘‘appro-
2
priate committees of Congress’’ means—
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(A) the Committee on Armed Services, the
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Committee on Financial Services, the Com-
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mittee on Foreign Affairs, the Committee on
6
the Judiciary, the Committee on Homeland Se-
7
curity, and the Permanent Select Committee on
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Intelligence of the House of Representatives;
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and
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(B) the Committee on Armed Services, the
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Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban
12
Affairs, the Committee on Foreign Relations,
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the Committee on the Judiciary, the Committee
14
on Homeland Security and Governmental Af-
15
fairs, and the Select Committee on Intelligence
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of the Senate.
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(d) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this Act
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may be construed to expand the eligibility for asylum of
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any alien by reason of the designation of a drug cartel
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as a foreign terrorist organization.
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Æ
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