The BANNED in Latin America Act directs the Secretary of State to develop and submit a comprehensive strategy to Congress within 180 days of enactment for countering Iranian and Hezbollah influence operations across Latin America. The strategy must address efforts to disrupt propaganda networks, including Hezbollah's Al Mayadeen Español broadcasting platform, and expose Iran's Al Mustafa International University network, which the bill identifies as a vehicle for radicalization and recruitment. It also requires plans to counter Iranian and Hezbollah involvement in drug and contraband smuggling, money laundering, illicit resource exploitation such as gold mining in Venezuela, and document fraud schemes involving fake passports and identification. This legislation primarily affects U.S. State Department operations and intelligence-sharing efforts with Latin American governments, aiming to curb what lawmakers view as growing security threats from Iranian and Hezbollah networks in the region. The strategy must be submitted in unclassified form, though it may include a classified annex for sensitive details.
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