Rosen, Curtis Bipartisan Bill to Counter Hezbollah’s Influence in the Western Hemisphere Passes Committee

WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee's Near East Subcommittee, announced that her bipartisan bill with Senator John Curtis (R-UT) to direct the U.S. Department of State and other federal agencies to assess and counter Hezbollah's influence in Latin America advanced in committee. The No Hezbollah in Our Hemisphere Act requires an official determination of whether any Western Hemisphere country meets the legal definition of a terrorist sanctuary and imposes restrictions on officials who support Hezbollah.

"Iran-backed Hezbollah is a terrorist organization that's intent on targeting the United States and our allies, like Israel," said Senator Rosen. "This terrorist group has operated in the Western Hemisphere for decades to raise funds for their illicit activities, which is a threat to our national security. I'm glad that my bipartisan bill to prevent Hezbollah from continuing to operate in this hemisphere has advanced through committee."

Hezbollah, with direct support from Iran, has built an extensive network in Latin America, using the region as a hub for terrorism, illicit financing, and organized crime. The group plays a central role in the cocaine trade, collaborating with Colombian and Mexican cartels to smuggle multi-ton shipments of narcotics across the hemisphere.

While countries such as Argentina and Paraguay have designated Hezbollah as a terrorist organization, many others have not-allowing the group to operate with impunity. Some authoritarian regimes in Latin America, particularly Venezuela under Nicolás Maduro, openly support Hezbollah and its Iranian backers. Brazil, Iran's primary trading partner in the region, has even allowed Iranian warships to dock in Rio de Janeiro.

Following the October 7, 2023 terrorist attacks in Israel, authorities in Brazil and Argentina intercepted multiple Iranian-backed terrorist plots targeting Jewish communities. The lack of coordinated regional action against Hezbollah poses a direct security threat to the United States and its allies.

Senator Rosen continues to fight to protect the United States and our allies against terrorist organizations. Last Congress, she introduced a bipartisan resolution urging the European Union (EU) to fully designate Hezbollah as a terrorist organization. Senator Rosen also introduced the bipartisan No Immigration Benefits for Hamas Terrorists Act to prevent any person who participated in Hamas's October 7 terrorist attacks from entering the United States.

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