The STOP MADNESS Act would authorize the United States to impose economic sanctions on foreign governments that resist repatriating their citizens who unlawfully entered the United States, and on foreign governments or individuals that knowingly facilitate unlawful immigration. Using the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), the President could block or prohibit all transactions in the property and interests of those governments or persons. The bill treats such resistance or facilitation as a national emergency and requires regular reporting to Congress on actions taken. It also provides for waivers in the national security interest and includes exemptions for intelligence and law-enforcement activities. In short, the bill is a punitive tool aimed at pressuring other countries to cooperate on repatriation and at penalizing those who aid unlawful immigration, with a formalized reporting and oversight framework for how those sanctions would be used.
Key Points
- 1Sanctions scope and targets: The President may sanction (block or prohibit transactions in property and interests in property) foreign governments that knowingly refuse or obstruct repatriation of their citizens who unlawfully entered the United States, and foreign governments or foreign persons that knowingly facilitate unlawful immigration.
- 2Authority and mechanism: Sanctions would be carried out under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), including OFAC-style asset blocking and licensing controls.
- 3Definitions and reach: The bill defines “foreign government,” “foreign person,” “United States person,” and other terms to clarify who can be targeted and who is protected; it uses a broad concept of foreign governments and their agents or instrumentalities.
- 4Reporting and oversight: The President must report to Congress within 180 days of enactment and then annually for seven years on actions taken (regulatory changes, sanctions, licensing decisions, enforcement actions, and mitigation measures). Reports can be unclassified or include a classified annex.
- 5Penalties and exceptions: Violators face penalties under the IEEPA. There is a national security waiver for the President to exempt a target if doing so serves U.S. national security interests. There are specific exemptions for intelligence and law-enforcement activities.