WASHINGTON D.C. ––Today, members of the House Committee on Homeland Security reintroduced commonsense legislation aimed at strengthening the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) response and coordination in countering the growing threat of transnational repression on U.S. soil conducted by authoritarian nation-states or their proxies. Transnational repression occurs when the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the Iranian regime, or other foreign actors extend their reach beyond their borders to silence Americans and dissidents through various tactics, such as harassment, assault, attempted kidnapping, intimidation, and coercion. 

Most recently, on December 18, 2024, Chen Jinping, a resident of New York City, pleaded guilty to conspiring to act as an illegal agent for the People’s Republic of China (PRC) by operating a “police station” in Manhattan.
 
Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence Chairman August Pfluger (R-TX) reintroduced the “Countering Transnational Repression Act of 2025,” which would create a dedicated transnational repression office in DHS to ensure the federal government takes steps to recognize, assess, and counter threats from foreign authoritarian regimes or an agent of a foreign government against American citizens or lawful permanent residents. Read Chairman Pfluger’s op-ed in The Washington Times.
 
Rep. Gabe Evans (R-CO) reintroduced the “Law Enforcement Support and Counter Transnational Repression Act,” which would help educate communities about transnational repression, increase visibility, and better connect victims with federal support through a hotline for this specific threat. The legislation was previously introduced in the 118th Congress by former Rep. Anthony D’Esposito (R-NY).
 
Rep. Seth Magaziner (D-RI) reintroduced the “Strengthening State and Local Efforts to Counter Transnational Repression Act,” which would require DHS to prioritize strengthening state and local law enforcement capabilities to counter transnational repression. In April 2024, all three of these bills were advanced out of Committee.
 
“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,” Chairman Pfluger said. “The hostile acts we are seeing across the country are a direct challenge to our nation’s sovereignty and infringe upon Americans’ civil liberties. This is why I am proud to reintroduce a vital piece of legislation today, the Countering Transnational Repression Act, that will combat these threats. I am also grateful to my colleagues, Congressmen Evans and Magaziner, for leading additional measures that will take significant steps in shining a light on these threats and empowering state and local law enforcement to identify this pernicious activity.”
 
“I am proud to introduce the bipartisan Law Enforcement Support and Counter Transnational Repression Act to educate the public on the threats posed by foreign intimidation of individuals on U.S. soil and equip law enforcement agencies to counter authoritarian regimes that seek to undermine our nation’s sovereignty and individuals’ freedoms,” Rep. Evans said. “America will not tolerate these attacks, and I will work hard to protect diaspora communities in Colorado and across the country.”
 
“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,” Rep. Magaziner said. “My Strengthening State and Local Efforts to Combat Transnational Repression Act ensures that law enforcement has the tools to identify and stop foreign governments from harassing and threatening people on our soil. I’m proud to join this bipartisan effort alongside Reps. Pfluger and Evans, co-sponsoring their Combating Transnational Repression Act and the Law Enforcement Support and Transnational Repression Hotline Act to send a clear, bipartisan message: the United States will always stand for freedom and against authoritarian intimidation.”
  
Background:
 
In the 118th Congress, the Committee led efforts to counter transnational repression on U.S. soil. In January 2024, the Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence held a hearing to examine DHS’ role in combating transnational repression in the United States, in which members heard testimony from Dr. Bob Fu, a Chinese dissident and victim of heinous acts of transnational repression by the CCP. 
 
On October 25, 2023, the Committee held a hearing on the malign influence of the Iranian regime and its nefarious activities on U.S. soil in which Iranian-American journalist and women’s rights activist, Masih Alinejad, provided harrowing testimony of the human rights abuses perpetrated by the regime. This testimony informed the Committee’s work to craft and advance bipartisan legislation to ensure a whole-of-government response to acts of transnational repression on U.S. soil. Read her op-ed in National Review.

In April 2023, Committee Chairman Mark E. Green, MD (R-TN) and Subcommittee Chairman Pfluger sent a letter to then-Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and then-Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Christopher Wray, requesting information on the CCP’s “police stations” uncovered in New York City and reportedly elsewhere in the country, which violate our nation’s sovereignty by suppressing Chinese dissidents living in the U.S., conducting surveillance, and spreading CCP propaganda.
 
In August 2024, Chairmen Green and Pfluger sent a letter to Director Wray requesting information about the arrest and charging of Asif Merchant, a Pakistani national with close ties to Iran, regarding a failed assassination plot by Merchant on U.S. soil. 
 
From January 2021 to February 2025, there were more than 60 CCP-related espionage cases in 20 states, including the execution of transnational repression schemes and the obstruction of justice. According to the Freedom House, the CCP is a top perpetrator of transnational repression in the world to silence dissidents critical of the regime. 

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