[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7799 Introduced in House (IH)]
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118th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 7799
To provide for an annual report on the prosecution activities of the
Coordinator for Caribbean Firearms Prosecutions of the Department of
Justice.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 22, 2024
Mrs. Cherfilus-McCormick (for herself and Mr. Castro of Texas)
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on
the Judiciary
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To provide for an annual report on the prosecution activities of the
Coordinator for Caribbean Firearms Prosecutions of the Department of
Justice.
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 ``Caribbean Arms Trafficking Causing
Harm Act'' or the ``CATCH Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds as follows:
(1) According to a 2023 joint report by the Caribbean
Community Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS)
and the Small Arms Survey, the average number of violent deaths
in the Caribbean is nearly triple the global average.
(2) According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and
Crime (UNODC), in 2021, Caribbean countries accounted for six
of the world's top ten highest national murder rates.
(3) Law enforcement officials in Haiti, Antigua and
Barbuda, and Jamaica have identified Florida as a significant
source of illicit firearms.
(4) According to the United Nations, Caribbean countries do
not manufacture firearms or ammunition, nor do they import them
on a large scale.
(5) According to Bahamian officials, over 90 percent of
firearms used in homicides and confiscated by authorities in
the Bahamas are traced to manufacturers and retailers in the
United States.
(6) In 2022, the Department of Homeland Security's Homeland
Security Investigations reported observing a significant
increase in the quantity, caliber, and type of firearms being
illegally trafficked to the Caribbean, including .50 caliber
sniper rifles, .308 rifles, and a belt fed machine gun.
(7) According to a 2023 assessment by UNODC, the flow of
illicit firearms into Haiti enables violent gangs and
contributes to forced displacement across the country.
(8) According to the Migration Policy Institute, there has
been a dramatic increase in migration to the United States from
Haiti in recent years, caused in part by widespread gang
violence.
(9) On June 25, 2022, President Joe Biden signed the
Bipartisan Safer Communities Act into law, which created
Federal criminal offenses for firearm trafficking and granted
the government new authorities to prosecute these offenses.
(10) On November 14, 2022, the IMPACS launched the Crime
Gun Intelligence Unit in partnership with United States law
enforcement agencies.
(11) Located in Trinidad and Tobago, the Crime Gun
Intelligence Unit provides intelligence for its member states
on illicit firearms and ammunition.
(12) On June 8, 2023, Vice President Kamala Harris
announced that ``the Department of Justice will name a
Coordinator for Caribbean Firearms Prosecutions who will be an
experienced Department of Justice prosecutor''.
(13) On July 5, 2023, Secretary of State Antony Blinken
announced that Michael Ben'Ary will serve as the Coordinator
for Caribbean Firearms Prosecutions.
(14) As of October 31, 2023, the Department of Justice has
prosecuted 207 defendants for firearms trafficking, including
80 defendants for making straw purchases, using authorities
derived from the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act.
SEC. 3. PURPOSES.
The purposes of this Act include the following:
(1) To combat illicit firearms trafficking from the United
States to the Caribbean.
(2) To bolster the security of the Caribbean region and the
United States.
(3) To increase oversight of the Coordinator for Caribbean
Firearms Prosecutions inside the Department of Justice.
SEC. 4. REPORT ON THE PROSECUTIONS ACTIVITIES OF THE COORDINATOR FOR
CARIBBEAN FIREARMS PROSECUTIONS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF
JUSTICE.
(a) Definition.--In this section, the term ``appropriate
congressional committees'' means--
(1) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of
Representatives;
(2) the Committee on the Judiciary of the House of
Representatives;
(3) the Committee on Homeland Security of the House of
Representatives;
(4) the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate;
(5) the Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate; and
(6) the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental
Affairs of the Senate.
(b) Requirement.--Not later than 90 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, and each year thereafter for 5 years, the
Attorney General, in coordination with the Secretary of State, and any
other agency determined necessary by the Attorney General, shall submit
a report to the appropriate congressional committees that includes, for
the previous year--
(1) a comprehensive review of the enforcement of sections
932 and 933 of title 18, United States Code, by the Coordinator
for Caribbean Firearms Prosecutions of the Department of
Justice; and
(2) specifies--
(A) the total number of investigations and
prosecutions launched by the Coordinator for Caribbean
Firearms Prosecutions, disaggregated by--
(i) the judicial district involved;
(ii) the alleged destination of the
firearm, ammunition, and firearm accessories,
as applicable;
(iii) the number and types of firearms,
ammunition, and firearm accessories, to the
extent the information is available; and
(iv) the method of transportation of the
firearm, ammunition, and firearm accessories,
to the extent the information is available;
(B) coordination efforts of the Department of
Justice with the Department of State, the Department of
Homeland Security, and any other Federal, State, or
local law enforcement agencies; and
(C) coordination efforts of the Department of
Justice with the Caribbean Crime Gun Intelligence Unit
of the Carribean Community (commonly referred to as
``CARICOM''), and any other regional or international
organizations determined necessary by the Secretary of
State.
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