Sec. 3. Authorization for the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative
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The Secretary of State and the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development may carry out an initiative, to be known as the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative , in beneficiary countries to achieve the purposes described in subsection (b). The purposes described in this subsection are the following: To promote citizen safety, security, and the rule of law in the Caribbean through increased strategic engagement with— the governments of beneficiary countries; and elements of local civil society, including the private sector, in such countries.
To counter transnational criminal organizations and local gangs in beneficiary countries, including through— maritime and aerial security cooperation, including— assistance to strengthen capabilities of maritime and aerial interdiction operations in the Caribbean; and the provision of support systems and equipment, training, and maintenance; cooperation on border and port security, including support to strengthen capacity for screening and intercepting narcotics, weapons, bulk cash, and other contraband at airports and seaports; and capacity building and the provision of equipment and support for operations targeting— the finances and illegal activities of such organizations and gangs; and the recruitment by such organizations and gangs of at-risk youth.
To advance law enforcement and justice sector capacity building and rule of law initiatives in beneficiary countries, including by— strengthening special prosecutorial offices and providing technical assistance— to combat corruption, money laundering, human, firearms, and wildlife trafficking, financial crimes, extortion, and human rights crimes; and to conduct asset forfeitures and criminal analysis; supporting training for civilian police and appropriate security services in criminal investigations, best practices for citizen security, and the protection of human rights; supporting capacity building for law enforcement and military units, including professionalization, anti-corruption and human rights training, vetting, and community-based policing; supporting justice sector reform and strengthening of the rule of law, including— capacity building for prosecutors, judges, and other justice officials; and support to increase the efficacy of criminal courts; and strengthening cybersecurity and cybercrime cooperation, including capacity building and support for cybersecurity systems.
To promote crime prevention efforts in beneficiary countries, particularly among at-risk-youth and other vulnerable populations, including through— improving community and law enforcement cooperation to improve the effectiveness and professionalism of police and increase mutual trust; increasing economic opportunities for at-risk youth and vulnerable populations, including through workforce development training and remedial education programs for at-risk youth; improving juvenile justice sectors through regulatory reforms, separating youth from traditional prison systems, and improving support and services in juvenile detention centers; and the provision of assistance to populations vulnerable to being victims of extortion and crime by criminal networks.
To strengthen the ability of the security sector in beneficiary countries to respond to and become more resilient in the face of natural disasters, including by— carrying out training exercises to ensure critical infrastructure and ports are able to come back online rapidly following natural disasters; and providing preparedness training to police and first responders. To prioritize efforts to combat corruption and include anti-corruption components in programs in beneficiary countries, including by— building the capacity of national justice systems and attorneys general to prosecute and try acts of corruption; provide technical and financial assistance to independent media and investigative reporting; increasing the capacity of national law enforcement services to carry out anti-corruption investigations; and encouraging cooperative agreements among the Department of State, other relevant Federal departments and agencies, and the attorneys general of relevant countries.
To promote the rule of law in beneficiary countries and counter malign influence from authoritarian regimes, including China, Russia, Iran, Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Cuba, by— monitoring security assistance from such authoritarian regimes and taking steps necessary to ensure that such assistance does not undermine or jeopardize United States security assistance; evaluating and, as appropriate, restricting the involvement of the United States in investment and infrastructure projects financed by authoritarian regimes that might obstruct or otherwise impact United States security assistance to beneficiary countries; monitoring and restricting equipment and support from high-risk vendors of telecommunications infrastructure in beneficiary countries; countering disinformation by promoting transparency and accountability from beneficiary countries; and eliminating corruption linked to investment and infrastructure facilitated by authoritarian regimes through support for investment screening, competitive tendering and bidding processes, the implementation of investment law, and contractual transparency.
To support the effective branding and messaging of United States security assistance and cooperation in beneficiary countries, including by developing and implementing a public diplomacy strategy for informing citizens of beneficiary countries about the benefits to their respective countries of United States security assistance and cooperation programs. There is authorized to be appropriated to the Department of State and the United States Agency for International Development $82,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2024 through 2028 to carry out the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative to achieve the purposes described in subsection (b).