I 
112TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 6292 
To deny entry into the United States of officials of any foreign government, 
including their immediate family members, who commit or who fail 
to rectify fundamental due process and human rights violations of impris-
oned United States citizens, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
AUGUST 2, 2012 
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey (for himself, Ms. BUERKLE, Mr. TURNER of New 
York, Mr. WOLF, and Mr. ENGEL) introduced the following bill; which 
was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the 
Committee on Foreign Affairs, for a period to be subsequently deter-
mined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions 
as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To deny entry into the United States of officials of any 
foreign government, including their immediate family 
members, who commit or who fail to rectify fundamental 
due process and human rights violations of imprisoned 
United States citizens, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Justice for Imprisoned 
Americans Overseas Act of 2012’’ or the ‘‘Jacob’s Law 
of 2012’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS; SENSE OF CONGRESS. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 
(1) The President is required under section 
2001 of the Revised Statutes of the United States 
(22 U.S.C. 1732) to demand the release of any cit-
izen who has been unjustly deprived of his liberty by 
or under the authority of any foreign government, 
and to undertake appropriate means to obtain the 
release of such citizen. 
(2) In a statement submitted to the Committee 
on the Judiciary of the Senate on July 27, 2011, 
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton stated that ‘‘[t]he 
State Department has no greater responsibility than 
the protection of U.S. citizens overseas—particularly 
when Americans find themselves in the custody of a 
foreign government, facing an unfamiliar, and at 
times unfair, legal system.’’. 
(3) Some United States citizens imprisoned in 
foreign countries have been and continue to be de-
nied fundamental due process and human rights 
under both local and international law by foreign 
government officials. 
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(4) Mr. Jacob Ostreicher, who has been de-
tained in the notorious Palmasola prison in Santa 
Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia, since June 4, 2011, is 
one of the United States citizens who currently is 
enduring multiple, egregious, and continuous viola-
tions of his fundamental due process and human 
rights under both local and international law. 
(b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con-
gress that foreign government officials responsible for vio-
lations of fundamental due process and human rights of 
imprisoned United States citizens, as well as their imme-
diate family members, should not have the privilege of 
traveling to the United States while United States citizens 
unjustly languish in their prisons. 
SEC. 3. DENIAL OF ENTRY INTO THE UNITED STATES OF 
CERTAIN FOREIGN GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS. 
(a) DENIAL OF ENTRY.—Notwithstanding any other 
provision of law, the Secretary of State may not issue any 
visa to, and the Secretary of Homeland Security shall deny 
entry to the United States of, any foreign government offi-
cial identified pursuant to subsection (c)(1)(C) or any im-
mediate family members of such official. 
(b) PERMANENT BAN.—Notwithstanding any other 
provision of law, if any United States citizen identified 
pursuant to subparagraph (c)(1)(A) dies from any cause 
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while in the custody of a foreign government, the govern-
ment officials identified pursuant to subparagraph 
(c)(1)(C) in relation to such citizen and the immediate 
family members of such officials may not be issued any 
visa by the Secretary of State, and may not be admitted 
by the Secretary of Homeland Security, to the United 
States at any time on or after the date of the death of 
such citizen. 
(c) DESIGNATION OF INADMISSIBLE FOREIGN OFFI-
CIALS.— 
(1) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 30 
days after the date of the enactment of this Act and 
every 180 days thereafter for five years, the Sec-
retary of State shall submit to the appropriate con-
gressional committees a report that contains the fol-
lowing: 
(A) An identification of United States citi-
zens imprisoned in foreign countries whose fun-
damental due process and human rights pursu-
ant to international standards are being vio-
lated. 
(B) An identification of the fundamental 
due process and human rights violations that 
are being committed against the citizens identi-
fied in subparagraph (A). 
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(C) An identification of the government of-
ficials who, based on a reasonable possibility, 
are responsible for the violations of, or are fail-
ing to fulfill their official responsibility to pro-
tect, the rights identified in subparagraph (B) 
of any citizen identified in subparagraph (A). 
(2) ADDITIONAL REPORTING REQUIREMENT.— 
In the case of each semi-annual report required 
under paragraph (1), the Secretary of State shall in-
clude a list of the names and titles of those govern-
ment officials identified in subparagraph (1)(C) and 
the names and relationships of the immediate family 
members of such officials who were denied a visa or 
entry to the United States pursuant to subsection 
(a) or (b) during the immediately preceding 180-day 
period. 
SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) APPROPRIATE
CONGRESSIONAL
COMMIT-
TEES.—The term ‘‘appropriate congressional com-
mittees’’ means the Committee on Foreign Affairs 
and the Committee on the Judiciary of the House of 
Representatives, and the Committee on Foreign Re-
lations and the Committee on the Judiciary of the 
Senate. 
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(2) IMMEDIATE FAMILY MEMBERS.—The term 
‘‘immediate family members’’ means a spouse, 
daughter or son regardless of age, parent, brother, 
sister, and fiance´ or fiance´e. 
Æ 
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