DETERRENCE Act
Summary
The DETERRENCE Act aims to strengthen federal criminal penalties for individuals who carry out violent acts on behalf of foreign adversaries. If enacted, the bill would authorize significant sentencing enhancements for specific crimes—including kidnapping, murder-for-hire, stalking, and assaults on federal officers—when those offenses are knowingly directed by or coordinated with a foreign government or its agents. For many of these crimes, the maximum prison sentence could be increased by five to ten years beyond current limits.
The legislation is designed to address growing concerns about foreign-backed threats against U.S. citizens and government officials. By increasing the legal consequences for internationally coordinated criminal efforts, the bill seeks to deter foreign regimes from recruiting individuals to perform surveillance, harassment, or violent attacks on American soil. The proposed changes would primarily impact federal prosecutors and law enforcement agencies by providing them with more robust tools to penalize crimes that threaten national security.
