Magaziner’s Bill to Combat Transnational Repression Passes Homeland Security Committee

WASHINGTON, DC — The House Homeland Security Committee today passed U.S. Representative Seth Magaziner’s (RI-02) Strengthening State and Local Efforts to Combat Transnational Repression Act, bipartisan legislation to crack down on coercive tactics used by repressive foreign governments to silence political dissidents, activists, and journalists within the United States. 

Rep. Magaziner, who serves as Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Counterterrorism, Law Enforcement, and Intelligence, sponsored the bill to train state and local law enforcement to identify and counter transnational repression by authoritarian regimes. This bill will be sent to Speaker Johnson for consideration on the House floor. 

“Free speech is a fundamental American value, and people who come to the United States to escape repression should be able to speak out without fear,” said Rep. Seth Magaziner. “But too often, dissidents and journalists are harassed or threatened by foreign governments—even after they’ve found safety on our shores. That’s why I introduced this bipartisan bill, which just passed the full Homeland Security Committee, to ensure local law enforcement has the tools to identify and investigate transnational repression in communities across the country.”

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.

The bill advanced out of the House Homeland Security Committee as part of a bipartisan package aimed at combating transnational repression. The package includes the Countering Transnational Repression Act of 2025, sponsored by Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, chairman of the Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence. Pfluger's bill will establish a dedicated transnational repression working group within the Department of Homeland Security. It also includes the Law Enforcement Support and Counter Transnational Repression Act, sponsored by Rep. Gabe Evans, R-Colorado, which will establish a public service announcement campaign to address this threat.

BACKGROUND

A quarter of the world’s governments (48 states) around the world have reached beyond their borders to forcibly silence political dissidents – including on U.S. soil – according to data by Freedom House.The top ten perpetrators over the past ten years were the governments of Russia, Cambodia, Belarus, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Egypt, Iran, Tajikistan, Turkey, and China. And in 2023, Freedom House reported 125 incidents of physical transnational impression that included assassinations, abductions, assaults, detentions, and unlawful deportations.