I 
119TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1998 
To require the imposition of sanctions with respect to foreign persons engaged 
in piracy, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 10, 2025 
Mr. JACKSON of Illinois introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on 
the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, 
in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the juris-
diction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To require the imposition of sanctions with respect to foreign 
persons engaged in piracy, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Sanction Sea Pirates 
Act of 2025’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) In 2011, there were 212 attempted attacks 
against vessels off of the Somali coast, more than 
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1,000 crew were held hostage, and 35 seafarers were 
killed. 
(2) Over the past decade through the beginning 
of 2023, rates of piracy in the Western Indian 
Ocean subsided. 
(3) Houthi attacks against commercial vessels 
in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since the Hamas 
terrorist attack against Israel on October 7th have 
impacted global shipping markets. 
(4) There has been a surge in Somali pirate at-
tacks, beginning in the fall of 2023 and lasting into 
2024, that has coincided with and taken advantage 
of Houthi aggression. 
(5) On March 12, 2024, Somali pirates hi-
jacked a Bangladeshi-flagged ship and took its crew 
hostage. 
SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 
It is the sense of Congress that— 
(1) the United States Government should seek 
to stop piracy all around the world, including off the 
Somali Coast and in the Gulf of Aden; 
(2) high seas pirates, and the criminal networks 
and enterprises with whom they are affiliated, 
should be sanctioned upon identification; and 
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(3) the United States should seek to work with 
allies and partners around the globe to combat pi-
racy around the globe and to curb the surge in pi-
racy off of the coast of Somalia and in the Gulf of 
Aden. 
SEC. 4. SANCTIONS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The President shall impose sanc-
tions described in subsection (b) with respect to any for-
eign person the President determines knowingly engages 
in piracy. 
(b) SANCTIONS
DESCRIBED.—The sanctions de-
scribed in this subsection are the following: 
(1) ASSET BLOCKING.—Notwithstanding the re-
quirements of section 202 of the International 
Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701), 
the President may exercise of all powers granted to 
the President by that Act to the extent necessary to 
block and prohibit all transactions in all property 
and interests in property of the foreign person if 
such property and interests in property are in the 
United States, come within the United States, or are 
or come within the possession or control of a United 
States person. 
(2) VISAS, ADMISSION, OR PAROLE.— 
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(A) IN GENERAL.—An alien who the Sec-
retary of State or the Secretary of Homeland 
Security (or a designee of one of such Secre-
taries) knows, or has reason to believe, is de-
scribed in subsection (a) is— 
(i) inadmissible to the United States; 
(ii) ineligible for a visa or other docu-
mentation to enter the United States; and 
(iii) otherwise ineligible to be admitted 
or paroled into the United States or to re-
ceive any other benefit under the Immigra-
tion and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101 et 
seq.). 
(B) CURRENT VISAS REVOKED.— 
(i) IN
GENERAL.—The issuing con-
sular officer, the Secretary of State, or the 
Secretary of Homeland Security (or a des-
ignee of one of such Secretaries) shall, in 
accordance with section 221(i) of the Im-
migration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 
1201(i)), revoke any visa or other entry 
documentation issued to an alien described 
in subparagraph (A) regardless of when 
the visa or other entry documentation is 
issued. 
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(ii) EFFECT OF REVOCATION.—A rev-
ocation under clause (i)— 
(I) shall take effect immediately; 
and 
(II) shall automatically cancel 
any other valid visa or entry docu-
mentation that is in the alien’s pos-
session. 
(c) EXCEPTIONS.— 
(1) EXCEPTION
TO
COMPLY
WITH
INTER-
NATIONAL
OBLIGATIONS.—Sanctions under sub-
section (b)(2) shall not apply with respect to the ad-
mission of an alien if admitting or paroling the alien 
into the United States is necessary to permit the 
United States to comply with the Agreement regard-
ing the Headquarters of the United Nations, signed 
at Lake Success June 26, 1947, and entered into 
force November 21, 1947, between the United Na-
tions and the United States, or other applicable 
international obligations. 
(2) EXCEPTION RELATING TO THE PROVISION 
OF
HUMANITARIAN
ASSISTANCE.—Sanctions under 
this section may not be imposed with respect to 
transactions or the facilitation of transactions for— 
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(A) the sale of agricultural commodities, 
food, medicine, or medical devices; 
(B) the provision of humanitarian assist-
ance; 
(C) financial transactions relating to hu-
manitarian assistance; or 
(D) transporting goods or services that are 
necessary to carry out operations relating to 
humanitarian assistance. 
(3) EXCEPTION FOR INTELLIGENCE, LAW EN-
FORCEMENT, 
AND
NATIONAL
SECURITY
ACTIVI-
TIES.—Sanctions under this section shall not apply 
to any authorized intelligence, law enforcement, or 
national security activities of the United States. 
(d) CLASSIFIED INFORMATION.—In any judicial re-
view of a determination made under this section, if the 
determination was based on classified information (as de-
fined in section 1(a) of the Classified Information Proce-
dures Act) such information may be submitted to the re-
viewing court ex parte and in camera. This subsection may 
not be construed to confer or imply any right to judicial 
review. 
(e) IMPLEMENTATION; PENALTIES.— 
(1) IMPLEMENTATION.—The President may ex-
ercise all authorities provided to the President under 
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sections 203 and 205 of the International Emer-
gency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1702 and 
1704) to carry out this section. 
(2) PENALTIES.—The penalties provided for in 
subsections (b) and (c) of section 206 of the Inter-
national Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 
U.S.C. 1705) shall apply to a person that violates, 
attempts to violate, conspires to violate, or causes a 
violation of regulations promulgated to carry out 
this section to the same extent that such penalties 
apply to a person that commits an unlawful act de-
scribed in section 206(a) of that Act. 
(f) WAIVER.—The President may waive the applica-
tion of sanctions imposed with respect to a foreign person 
under this section if the President certifies to the Com-
mittee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives 
and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate 
not later than 15 days before such waiver is to take effect 
that the waiver is crucial to the national security interests 
of the United States. 
(g) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) FOREIGN PERSON.—The term ‘‘foreign per-
son’’ means an individual or entity that is not a 
United States person. 
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