This bill, known as the CATCH Act, requires the Department of Justice to submit annual reports to Congress detailing its prosecution efforts against illegal firearms trafficking to the Caribbean. The Attorney General must submit the first report within 90 days of the bill's enactment and then annually for five years, in coordination with the State Department. Each report must include the number of investigations and prosecutions by the Coordinator for Caribbean Firearms Prosecutions, broken down by judicial district, destination country, types of weapons involved, and transportation methods, as well as coordination efforts with various U.S. agencies and Caribbean partners. The bill responds to evidence that the Caribbean faces violence rates nearly triple the global average, with over 90 percent of illegally used firearms in some Caribbean nations originating from U.S. manufacturers and dealers, contributing to gang violence and forced migration. The legislation seeks to increase congressional oversight of federal efforts to combat this trafficking and strengthen regional security cooperation.
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