August Pfluger Decries Growing Rates Of 'Transnational Repression' By Foreign Adversaries In The US

7 months ago

During a House Homeland Security Committee hearing earlier this month, Rep. August Pfluger (R-TX) spoke about transnational repression of people within the United States by foreign authoritarian regimes.

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Transcript

00:00 The suit shall be considered base text for purpose of further amendment.

00:03 I recognize myself for five minutes on this amendment.

00:08 In the 118th Congress, the Committee on Homeland Security has held multiple hearings to examine

00:12 the threat of transnational repression in the United States, which has grown significantly

00:17 in the last few years.

00:18 The committee has heard testimony from victims of transnational repression, including but

00:23 not limited to Mr. Maseeh Al-Najed, Enes Cantor-Freedom, and Dr. Bob Fu, all of whom have been egregiously

00:29 targeted on U.S. soil for criticizing authoritarian regimes.

00:35 Transnational repression is the act of a foreign government or an individual acting on behalf

00:38 of that foreign government targeting an individual or a community in another country and using

00:43 violence, assassinations, the threat of violence, digital threats, family intimidation, smear

00:48 campaigns, or the manipulation of legal processes to harass and intimidate individuals that

00:54 are critical of the nation acting as the aggressor.

00:58 The Chinese Communist Party, the Iranian regime, and other malign entities have reached beyond

01:03 their borders to silence their citizens and former citizens and Americans who defend human

01:09 rights and advocate for free speech.

01:11 These hostile acts are a direct challenge to our nation's sovereignty and the rule

01:15 of law.

01:16 It is crucial that the Department of Homeland Security take steps to recognize, assess,

01:21 and help address this threat, thereby reducing risk to the people of the United States.

01:26 One of the bills we are marking up today, H.R. 7443, is an important measure that would

01:29 authorize a dedicated transnational repression task force within DHS to analyze and monitor

01:35 transnational repression and related terrorism threats and DHS to take action to prevent

01:40 this repression.

01:41 The head of the task force will be appointed by the Director of Homeland Security Investigations,

01:46 as HSI already works closely with federal and other partners to investigate allegations

01:51 of transnational repression.

01:53 I want to thank Representative DiEsposito for his attention to this matter and commend

01:58 his work on legislation to implement an important public service awareness campaign to educate

02:03 the public on the issue of transnational repression threats and the resources that are available

02:08 to victims.

02:09 I think it's especially critical now, given the operation of an illegal overseas police

02:13 station of the Chinese Communist Party within New York City.

02:18 According to the Justice Department, the CCP, through its repressive security apparatus,

02:23 established a secret physical presence in New York City to monitor and intimidate dissidents

02:28 and those critical of its government.

02:31 And the CCP's actions go far beyond the bounds of acceptable nation-state conduct.

02:37 Just last July, Representative DiEsposito and myself visited and met with the heads

02:42 of NYPD's Intelligence and Counterterrorism Division to discuss a myriad of security issues,

02:47 including transnational repression and NYPD's good work related to the Chinese government

02:53 and the police stations in Manhattan.

02:56 It is paramount that we decisively defend the freedoms of all those living in our country

03:00 from the threat of authoritarian repression.

03:03 I'm also proud to support Ranking Member Magaziner's measure today, H.R. 7439, to require the Secretary

03:10 of Homeland Security to prioritize strengthening of state and local law enforcement capabilities

03:15 to counter transnational repression and related terrorism threats.

03:19 All three of these bills passed out of the Subcommittee on Counterterrorism, Law Enforcement,

03:23 and Intelligence on February 29, 2024.

03:27 Since then, we have made some very minor adjustments to the bill text to improve the practicality

03:32 and implementation of these measures.

03:35 I thank all my colleagues, I thank the staff on both the majority and the minority side,

03:41 for moving these important pieces of legislation.

03:43 Effectively, these measures reflect a bipartisan commitment to safeguarding American values

03:48 of free speech and human rights in the face of foreign malign influence.

August Pfluger Decries Growing Rates Of 'Transnational Repression' By Foreign Adversaries In The US

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