This bill calls for the extradition of Joanne Chesimard, also known as Assata Shakur, from Cuba to the United States. Chesimard was convicted of killing New Jersey State Trooper Werner Foerster during a 1973 traffic stop and escaped from a New Jersey prison in 1979, after which she fled to Cuba where she has remained. The bill expresses Congress's view that Cuba is violating existing extradition treaties between the two countries by harboring Chesimard and directs the Secretary of State and Attorney General to use diplomatic tools to secure her return. It also requires the State Department to submit a report to Congress within 180 days and annually thereafter detailing efforts to extradite Chesimard and other U.S. fugitives in Cuba, with reporting continuing until Cuba demonstrates it is actively fulfilling its extradition obligations. The bill honors the memory of Trooper Foerster and acknowledges the ongoing suffering of his family and the law enforcement community.
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