RELEASE: Gottheimer, Jackson Introduce Bipartisan Bill Targeting Polisario Front Cooperation with Iranian Regime

Bipartisan legislation would trigger a terrorist designation of the Polisario Front over its cooperation with Iran and Iranian-backed terrorist groups

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Representatives Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5) and Ronny Jackson (TX-13) introduced the Polisario Front Terrorist Designation Act, the bipartisan House companion to legislation in the Senate led by U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX). The legislation requires the Secretary of State to designate the Polisario Front, a Sahrawi paramilitary group based in Algeria, as a terrorist organization if the group is found to be cooperating with Iran or Iranian-backed terrorist organizations.

“The Iranian regime and its terrorist proxies are working overtime to open a new front against the United States and our allies, and the Polisario Front has become one of their instruments,” said Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5). “When a group takes drones and weapons from the IRGC and coordinates with Iranian-backed terrorists, we should call it exactly what it is: a terrorist organization. This bipartisan bill makes sure that once that cooperation is confirmed, we can bring the full weight of America’s counterterrorism sanctions down on the Polisario Front and cut its leaders off from the global financial system, international travel, and the resources they use to threaten us and our allies. Standing up to Iran and its proxies isn’t a partisan issue.”

“FDD Action supports efforts to designate the Polisario Front which has been armed and trained by elements of Iran’s IRGC and Hezbollah. This important legislation would require the State Department to report on the Polisario Front’s activities including weapons trafficking and the use of armed drones against civilian targets,” said Tyler Stapleton Senior Director of Government Relations – FDD Action.

The bill text can be read here.

The Polisario Front Terrorist Designation Act would initiate a process to designate the Polisario Front as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) if the group is found to be engaging in military and terrorist cooperation with Iran or Iranian-affiliated terrorist groups. Specifically, it requires a report from the Secretary of State on cooperation between the Polisario Front and such groups relating to:

• Armed participation in military operations;
• Weapons systems, including man-portable individual-use firearms;
• Unmanned aerial vehicles, including commercially available component parts;
• Systems or components designed to detect, track, engage, or destroy airborne targets; and
• Military intelligence support, including surveillance data, targeting information, signals, or human intelligence, and related analysis in raw or processed form.

Original co-sponsors are Representatives Claudia Tenny (NY-22), Greg Landsman (OH-1), Don Bacon (NE-2), and Jared Moskowitz (FL-23). The bill is endorsed by FDD Action.

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