Sanction Sea Pirates Act of 2025

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1998 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1998

To require the imposition of sanctions with respect to foreign persons
               engaged in piracy, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 10, 2025

   Mr. Jackson of Illinois introduced the following bill; which was
 referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the
Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined
 by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as
        fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

To require the imposition of sanctions with respect to foreign persons
               engaged in piracy, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Sanction Sea Pirates Act of 2025''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) In 2011, there were 212 attempted attacks against
        vessels off of the Somali coast, more than 1,000 crew were held
        hostage, and 35 seafarers were killed.
            (2) Over the past decade through the beginning of 2023,
        rates of piracy in the Western Indian Ocean subsided.
            (3) Houthi attacks against commercial vessels in the Red
        Sea and Gulf of Aden since the Hamas terrorist attack against
        Israel on October 7th have impacted global shipping markets.
            (4) There has been a surge in Somali pirate attacks,
        beginning in the fall of 2023 and lasting into 2024, that has
        coincided with and taken advantage of Houthi aggression.
            (5) On March 12, 2024, Somali pirates hijacked a
        Bangladeshi-flagged ship and took its crew hostage.

SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    It is the sense of Congress that--
            (1) the United States Government should seek to stop piracy
        all around the world, including off the Somali Coast and in the
        Gulf of Aden;
            (2) high seas pirates, and the criminal networks and
        enterprises with whom they are affiliated, should be sanctioned
        upon identification; and
            (3) the United States should seek to work with allies and
        partners around the globe to combat piracy around the globe and
        to curb the surge in piracy off of the coast of Somalia and in
        the Gulf of Aden.

SEC. 4. SANCTIONS.

    (a) In General.--The President shall impose sanctions described in
subsection (b) with respect to any foreign person the President
determines knowingly engages in piracy.
    (b) Sanctions Described.--The sanctions described in this
subsection are the following:
            (1) Asset blocking.--Notwithstanding the requirements of
        section 202 of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act
        (50 U.S.C. 1701), the President may exercise of all powers
        granted to the President by that Act to the extent necessary to
        block and prohibit all transactions in all property and
        interests in property of the foreign person if such property
        and interests in property are in the United States, come within
        the United States, or are or come within the possession or
        control of a United States person.
            (2) Visas, admission, or parole.--
                    (A) In general.--An alien who the Secretary of
                State or the Secretary of Homeland Security (or a
                designee of one of such Secretaries) knows, or has
                reason to believe, is described in subsection (a) is--
                            (i) inadmissible to the United States;
                            (ii) ineligible for a visa or other
                        documentation to enter the United States; and
                            (iii) otherwise ineligible to be admitted
                        or paroled into the United States or to receive
                        any other benefit under the Immigration and
                        Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101 et seq.).
                    (B) Current visas revoked.--
                            (i) In general.--The issuing consular
                        officer, the Secretary of State, or the
                        Secretary of Homeland Security (or a designee
                        of one of such Secretaries) shall, in
                        accordance with section 221(i) of the
                        Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C.
                        1201(i)), revoke any visa or other entry
                        documentation issued to an alien described in
                        subparagraph (A) regardless of when the visa or
                        other entry documentation is issued.
                            (ii) Effect of revocation.--A revocation
                        under clause (i)--
                                    (I) shall take effect immediately;
                                and
                                    (II) shall automatically cancel any
                                other valid visa or entry documentation
                                that is in the alien's possession.
    (c) Exceptions.--
            (1) Exception to comply with international obligations.--
        Sanctions under subsection (b)(2) shall not apply with respect
        to the admission of an alien if admitting or paroling the alien
        into the United States is necessary to permit the United States
        to comply with the Agreement regarding the Headquarters of the
        United Nations, signed at Lake Success June 26, 1947, and
        entered into force November 21, 1947, between the United
        Nations and the United States, or other applicable
        international obligations.
            (2) Exception relating to the provision of humanitarian
        assistance.--Sanctions under this section may not be imposed
        with respect to transactions or the facilitation of
        transactions for--
                    (A) the sale of agricultural commodities, food,
                medicine, or medical devices;
                    (B) the provision of humanitarian assistance;
                    (C) financial transactions relating to humanitarian
                assistance; or
                    (D) transporting goods or services that are
                necessary to carry out operations relating to
                humanitarian assistance.
            (3) Exception for intelligence, law enforcement, and
        national security activities.--Sanctions under this section
        shall not apply to any authorized intelligence, law
        enforcement, or national security activities of the United
        States.
    (d) Classified Information.--In any judicial review of a
determination made under this section, if the determination was based
on classified information (as defined in section 1(a) of the Classified
Information Procedures Act) such information may be submitted to the
reviewing court ex parte and in camera. This subsection may not be
construed to confer or imply any right to judicial review.
    (e) Implementation; Penalties.--
            (1) Implementation.--The President may exercise all
        authorities provided to the President under sections 203 and
        205 of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50
        U.S.C. 1702 and 1704) to carry out this section.
            (2) Penalties.--The penalties provided for in subsections
        (b) and (c) of section 206 of the International Emergency
        Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1705) shall apply to a person
        that violates, attempts to violate, conspires to violate, or
        causes a violation of regulations promulgated to carry out this
        section to the same extent that such penalties apply to a
        person that commits an unlawful act described in section 206(a)
        of that Act.
    (f) Waiver.--The President may waive the application of sanctions
imposed with respect to a foreign person under this section if the
President certifies to the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of
Representatives and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate
not later than 15 days before such waiver is to take effect that the
waiver is crucial to the national security interests of the United
States.
    (g) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Foreign person.--The term ``foreign person'' means an
        individual or entity that is not a United States person.
            (2) United states person.--The term ``United States
        person'' means--
                    (A) a United States citizen;
                    (B) a permanent resident alien of the United
                States; or
                    (C) an entity organized under the laws of the
                United States or of any jurisdiction within the United
                States, including a foreign branch of such an entity.
            (3) Piracy.--The term ``piracy'' means any act in violation
        of one or more provisions of chapter 81 of title 18, United
        States Code.
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