[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4067 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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118th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 4067
To provide for an annual report on the prosecution activities of the
Coordinator for Caribbean Firearms Prosecutions of the Department of
Justice.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
March 22, 2024
Mr. Murphy (for himself and Mr. Kaine) introduced the following bill;
which was read twice and 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 TITLES.
This Act may be cited as the ``Caribbean Arms Trafficking Causing
Harm Act'' or the ``CATCH Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) According to a 2023 joint report by the Caribbean
Community Implementation Agency for Crime and Security 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, Caribbean countries accounted for 6 of the world's top
10 highest national murder rates in 2021.
(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 such
products on a large scale.
(5) According to Bahamian officials, more than 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 United Nations Office
on Drugs and Crime, the flow of illicit firearms into Haiti
enables violent gangs and contributes to forced displacement
throughout 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 (Public Law 117-159) 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 Caribbean Community
Implementation Agency for Crime and Security launched the Crime
Gun Intelligence Unit, in partnership with United States law
enforcement agencies.
(11) The Crime Gun Intelligence Unit, located in Trinidad
and Tobago, provides intelligence for its member states
regarding illicit firearms and ammunition.
(12) On June 8, 2023, Vice President Kamala Harris
announced, ``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 had
prosecuted 207 defendants for firearms trafficking using
authorities derived from the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act,
including 80 defendants for making straw purchases.
SEC. 3. PURPOSES.
The purposes of this Act are--
(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; and
(3) to increase oversight of the Coordinator for Caribbean
Firearms Prosecutions of the Department of Justice.
SEC. 4. DEFINED TERM.
In this Act, the term ``appropriate congressional committees''
means--
(1) the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate;
(2) the Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate;
(3) the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental
Affairs of the Senate.
(4) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of
Representatives;
(5) the Committee on the Judiciary of the House of
Representatives;
(6) the Committee on Homeland Security of the House of
Representatives;
SEC. 5. REPORT ON COORDINATOR FOR CARIBBEAN FIREARMS PROSECUTIONS'
ACTIVITIES.
Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act,
and annually thereafter for the following 5 years, the Attorney
General, in coordination with the Department of State, and any other
Federal agency designated by the Attorney General, shall submit a
report to the appropriate congressional committees that includes--
(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;
(iii) the number and types of firearms,
ammunition, and firearm accessories, to the
extent such information is available; and
(iv) the method of transportation of the
firearm, ammunition, and firearm accessories,
to the extent such information is available;
(B) coordination efforts with the Department of
State, the Department of Homeland Security, and other
Federal, State, and local law enforcement agencies;
(C) coordination efforts with the Caribbean
Community's Crime Gun Intelligence Unit, and any other
regional or international organizations designated by
the Secretary of State.
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