Us Congress 2025-2026 Regular Session

Us Congress Senate Bill SB834 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	II
2	2	119THCONGRESS
3	3	1
4	4	STSESSION S. 834
5	5	To call for the immediate extradition or return to the United States of
6	6	convicted felon Joanne Chesimard, William ‘‘Guillermo’’ Morales, and
7	7	all other fugitives who are receiving safe haven in Cuba to escape pros-
8	8	ecution or confinement for criminal offenses committed in the United
9	9	States.
10	10	IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
11	11	MARCH4, 2025
12	12	Mr. S
13	13	COTTof Florida (for himself and Mr. CRUZ) introduced the following
14	14	bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations
15	15	A BILL
16	16	To call for the immediate extradition or return to the United
17	17	States of convicted felon Joanne Chesimard, William
18	18	‘‘Guillermo’’ Morales, and all other fugitives who are
19	19	receiving safe haven in Cuba to escape prosecution or
20	20	confinement for criminal offenses committed in the
21	21	United States.
22	22	Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-1
23	23	tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2
24	24	SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3
25	25	This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Frank Connor and 4
26	26	Trooper Werner Foerster Justice Act’’. 5
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30	30	SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 1
31	31	Congress makes the following findings: 2
32	32	(1) Joanne Chesimard, who is on the Federal 3
33	33	Bureau of Investigation’s list of Most Wanted Ter-4
34	34	rorists, is believed to be receiving safe haven in Cuba 5
35	35	to escape confinement for criminal offenses com-6
36	36	mitted in the United States. 7
37	37	(2) On May 2, 1973, Ms. Chesimard, a member 8
38	38	of the Black Liberation Army extremist organiza-9
39	39	tion, and 2 accomplices opened fire on 2 New Jersey 10
40	40	State troopers during a motor vehicle stop. Ms. 11
41	41	Chesimard and her accomplices wounded 1 State 12
42	42	trooper and executed State Trooper Werner Foerster 13
43	43	at point-blank range. 14
44	44	(3) After a 6-week trial in March 1977, Ms. 15
45	45	Chesimard was found guilty of first-degree murder 16
46	46	and sentenced to life imprisonment. On November 2, 17
47	47	1979, Ms. Chesimard, aided by armed individuals 18
48	48	posing as visitors, escaped from what is now the 19
49	49	Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women and 20
50	50	fled to Cuba. 21
51	51	(4) William ‘‘Guillermo’’ Morales, a bomb- 22
52	52	maker for the terrorist organization Fuerzas Arma-23
53	53	das de Liberacio´n Nacional, is credibly believed to 24
54	54	have committed numerous terrorist attacks on 25
55	55	United States soil, including the bombings of 26
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58	58	•S 834 IS
59	59	Fraunces Tavern in lower Manhattan on January 1
60	60	25, 1975, and of the Mobil Oil employment office in 2
61	61	New York on August 3, 1977. Among those killed 3
62	62	in the bombing of Fraunces Tavern was Mr. Frank 4
63	63	Connor of New Jersey. 5
64	64	(5) Following hospitalization in Bellevue Hos-6
65	65	pital in July 1978 after a bomb he was constructing 7
66	66	exploded prematurely, William ‘‘Guillermo’’ Morales 8
67	67	escaped to Mexico and made his way to Cuba before 9
68	68	June 1988. 10
69	69	(6) Other fugitives from the United States who 11
70	70	have been charged with offenses, such as hijacking, 12
71	71	kidnapping, drug trafficking, and murder, are be-13
72	72	lieved to be receiving safe haven in Cuba. Fugitives 14
73	73	from the United States who are currently residing in 15
74	74	Cuba include— 16
75	75	(A) Charlie Hill, a member of the Republic 17
76	76	of New Afrika militant group who stands ac-18
77	77	cused of killing a policeman in New Mexico in 19
78	78	1971 before hijacking a passenger plane and 20
79	79	obtaining asylum in Cuba; and 21
80	80	(B) Victor Manuel Gerena, a member of 22
81	81	the Puerto Rican terrorist group Los 23
82	82	Macheteros who stole a Wells Fargo armored 24
83	83	car in Connecticut containing over $7,000,000 25
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86	86	•S 834 IS
87	87	in November 1983 before escaping to Cuba and 1
88	88	remained on the Federal Bureau of Investiga-2
89	89	tion’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list for more 3
90	90	than 32 years. 4
91	91	(7) The Treaty Between the United States and 5
92	92	Cuba for the Mutual Extradition of Fugitives from 6
93	93	Justice, done at Washington, DC, April 6, 1904 (33 7
94	94	Stat. 2265), and the Additional Extradition Treaty 8
95	95	Between the United States and Cuba, done at Ha-9
96	96	vana, Cuba January 14, 1926 (44 Stat. 2392), con-10
97	97	stitute bilateral extradition treaties between the 11
98	98	United States and Cuba. 12
99	99	(8) The Cuban regime has previously returned 13
100	100	fugitives from the United States, including— 14
101	101	(A) Jesse James Bell, a United States cit-15
102	102	izen wanted on 15 drug charges who was re-16
103	103	turned to the United States in January 2002; 17
104	104	(B) Leonard B. Auerbach, a United States 18
105	105	citizen wanted on Federal child sex crimes 19
106	106	charges who was returned to the United States 20
107	107	in June 2008; and 21
108	108	(C) James Ray III, a United States citizen 22
109	109	and New Jersey resident accused of murdering 23
110	110	his girlfriend, who was returned to the United 24
111	111	States in November 2018. 25
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115	115	SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 1
116	116	It is the sense of Congress that— 2
117	117	(1) Joanne Chesimard, William ‘‘Guillermo’’ 3
118	118	Morales, and all other fugitives receiving safe haven 4
119	119	in Cuba to escape prosecution or confinement for 5
120	120	criminal offenses committed in the United States 6
121	121	must be extradited or returned immediately to the 7
122	122	United States, consistent with the Cuban regime’s 8
123	123	obligations pursuant to its extradition treaties with 9
124	124	the United States; and 10
125	125	(2) the Secretary of State and the Attorney 11
126	126	General should leverage all appropriate diplomatic 12
127	127	and policy tools to secure the timely extradition or 13
128	128	return of all fugitives residing in Cuba to face jus-14
129	129	tice in the United States. 15
130	130	SEC. 4. ANNUAL REPORT AND DETERMINATION ON FUGI-16
131	131	TIVES FROM THE UNITED STATES IN CUBA. 17
132	132	(a) I
133	133	NGENERAL.—The Secretary of State, in coordi-18
134	134	nation with the Attorney General, shall raise the issue of 19
135	135	fugitives from the United States receiving safe haven in 20
136	136	Cuba as part of bilateral conversations with the Cuban 21
137	137	regime. 22
138	138	(b) R
139	139	EPORT.—Not later than 180 days after the date 23
140	140	of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter until 24
141	141	the date specified in subsection (c), the Secretary of State 25
142	142	shall submit a report to the Committee on Foreign Rela-26
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145	145	•S 834 IS
146	146	tions of the Senate and the Committee on Foreign Affairs 1
147	147	of the House of Representatives that— 2
148	148	(1) identifies steps taken by the Department of 3
149	149	State to advance efforts to secure the extradition or 4
150	150	return of Joanne Chesimard, William ‘‘Guillermo’’ 5
151	151	Morales, and other fugitives from the United States 6
152	152	who are residing in Cuba; 7
153	153	(2) includes a determination as to whether the 8
154	154	Cuban regime is actively fulfilling its obligations 9
155	155	under the bilateral extradition treaties described in 10
156	156	section 2(6) between the United States and Cuba; 11
157	157	and 12
158	158	(3) to the extent feasible, includes an estimate 13
159	159	of the number of fugitives from the United States 14
160	160	who are receiving safe haven in Cuba. 15
161	161	(c) S
162	162	UNSET.—The Secretary of State is not required 16
163	163	to submit the report described in subsection (b) after the 17
164	164	date on which the Secretary submits a second consecutive 18
165	165	annual report under such subsection that includes a deter-19
166	166	mination that the Cuban regime— 20
167	167	(1) is actively fulfilling its extradition obliga-21
168	168	tions; and 22
169	169	(2) is returning fugitives of the United States 23
170	170	who are residing in Cuba. 24
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174	174	SEC. 5. PROHIBITION ON THE USE OF INCLE FUNDING IN 1
175	175	CUBA. 2
176	176	Amounts deposited into the International Narcotics 3
177	177	Control and Law Enforcement account to carry out the 4
178	178	activities authorized under section 481(a)(4) of the For-5
179	179	eign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2291(a)(4)) may 6
180	180	not be used for programs or initiatives in Cuba until the 7
181	181	Cuban regime is in compliance with— 8
182	182	(1) the conditions set forth in paragraphs (1) 9
183	183	and (2) of section 4(c) of this Act; and 10
184	184	(2) the conditions set for the resumption of eco-11
185	185	nomic activity between the United States and Cuba 12
186	186	pursuant to law, including the Cuban Liberty and 13
187	187	Democratic Solidarity (LIBERTAD) Act of 1996 14
188	188	(22 U.S.C. 6021 et seq.). 15
189	189	Æ
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