HR2158-119

What This Bill Does

The Countering Transnational Repression Act of 2025 responds to threats by foreign governments or their agents against people in the United States and abroad. Congress states that hostile foreign governments use threats, intimidation, harassment, surveillance, stalking, silencing, physical harm, and kidnapping to target individuals. The bill establishes a Transnational Repression Working Group within the Department of Homeland Security, coordinated with the Office of Intelligence and Analysis, to analyze and monitor transnational repression and related terrorism threats. The Director of Homeland Security Investigations appoints the working group director, who reports to the DHS Secretary and HSI Director. HSI must provide enough employees and at least one employee dedicated to privacy-law compliance. The group may use detailees from the intelligence community or other federal agencies. It must review information from federal, state, local, tribal, territorial partners and the National Network of Fusion Centers, incorporate it when appropriate, and disseminate threat information back to those partners. For seven years, HSI, through the working group and in coordination with I&A, ODNI, and FBI as appropriate, must report annually to congressional homeland security committees on incidents, attempted incidents, quantitative data, foreign-government roles, federal disruption efforts, and relevant matters. Unclassified portions must be posted publicly, with classified annexes limited to protecting intelligence sources and methods. DHS must also conduct research, development, and operational testing of technologies and techniques to help partners counter transnational repression, while protecting constitutional rights, privacy, civil rights, civil liberties, and lawful speech.

Who Benefits and How

Diaspora communities and dissidents targeted by foreign governments benefit from a DHS office focused on identifying and disrupting threats, surveillance, harassment, stalking, kidnapping plots, and related terrorism. Federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial law enforcement partners benefit from threat-information dissemination and DHS research support. Fusion centers benefit from a formal channel for sharing and receiving transnational repression information. Congressional homeland security committees benefit from annual public and classified assessments for seven years. Privacy and civil-liberties offices benefit from statutory requirements for dedicated compliance staffing and limits protecting lawful speech.

Who Bears the Burden and How

Homeland Security Investigations must staff, direct, and report on the working group. The DHS Office of Intelligence and Analysis must coordinate monitoring and information sharing. ODNI and FBI must support annual assessments when appropriate. Federal agencies and intelligence-community components may provide detailees with relevant expertise. State, local, tribal, territorial, and fusion-center partners must share information that can be reviewed and incorporated. Foreign government agents involved in transnational repression face increased monitoring, public reporting, investigation, and disruption risk.

Key Provisions

• Establishes a Transnational Repression Working Group within DHS.
• Requires coordination with the Office of Intelligence and Analysis on monitoring and analysis.
• Requires HSI to appoint a director, provide sufficient staff, and dedicate at least one employee to privacy-law compliance.
• Authorizes detailees from the intelligence community and other federal agencies.
• Requires review and dissemination of information from federal, state, local, tribal, territorial, and fusion-center partners.
• Requires annual assessments to Congress for seven years, with public unclassified portions and limited classified annexes.
• Directs DHS research, development, and operational testing for countering transnational repression.
• Protects constitutional rights, privacy, civil rights, civil liberties, and lawful speech.