New Act Mandates Asset Freezes, Visa Bans on Popular Resistance Committees 90 Days After Enactment

This legislation, officially titled the Accountability for Terrorist Perpetrators of October 7th Act, has a very clear mission: to impose heavy sanctions on the Popular Resistance Committees (PRC) and anyone connected to them. Ninety days after it becomes law, the President must use existing powers to freeze all financial assets belonging to the PRC and its affiliates if those assets are in the U.S. or controlled by a U.S. person. Beyond the money, the Act mandates an immediate visa ban, meaning anyone identified as an agent or affiliate of the PRC is ineligible to enter the U.S., and any existing visas they hold must be revoked.

The Financial Freeze: Who Gets Hit

Section 2 of the bill is where the real-world consequences start to stack up. If you are an individual or a foreign entity linked to the PRC—whether you’re an official, an agent, or even if the PRC simply owns or controls your business—your property in the U.S. gets locked down. This uses the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), which means the U.S. government can effectively cut off these groups from the American financial system. While the goal is to stop terrorist financing, the broad language in the bill means the sanctions apply not just to the PRC itself, but also to any “armed group the President decides is operating under the PRC’s umbrella.” That ‘umbrella’ definition is pretty wide open, which means the President has significant discretion to apply these sanctions to loosely connected groups.

The Travel Ban and Immigration Impact

For anyone targeted by these sanctions, the immigration door slams shut. The Act immediately bans them from getting a visa, parole, or any other immigration benefit. If they already have a visa, the Secretary of State or Homeland Security must revoke it. This is a severe consequence, ensuring that individuals linked to the PRC cannot use the U.S. as a safe haven or a base of operations. The only exceptions are specific U.N. obligations or authorized U.S. intelligence and law enforcement activities, which is standard procedure to ensure national security operations can continue.

State Department’s Homework: The Designation Question

Section 3 sets a tight deadline for the State Department. Within 90 days, the Secretary of State must deliver a detailed report to Congress on two groups: the Popular Resistance Committees (PRC) and the Lions’ Den. The report has to determine if these groups meet the criteria to be officially labeled as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) or a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT). The Lions’ Den, which started in 2022, is specifically mentioned for carrying out numerous attacks against Israeli targets. If the Secretary decides not to designate either group, they must provide a full, detailed explanation of why they don't meet the legal standards. This isn’t a one-time request, either; the Secretary must follow up every two years to identify any new groups that replace or operate under the PRC’s banner, ensuring the sanctions stay relevant.

The Waivers and Off-Ramps

Even with these mandatory sanctions, the President retains some flexibility. They can waive the sanctions for up to 180 days at a time if they certify to Congress that doing so is vital to U.S. national security interests. They also have an off-ramp for terminating the sanctions on a specific entity if they certify that the group has completely stopped engaging in terrorism or has entirely shut down its operations. This means that while the sanctions are mandatory, the Executive Branch still holds the keys to temporarily pausing or permanently ending them based on geopolitical calculations or verified changes in the group’s behavior.