State Representative Quang Nguyen's (R-1) bill to combat foreign governments' repression of Arizona residents has passed the House of Representatives. He said, "This bill sends a clear message: we will not tolerate foreign governments trampling on our freedoms."
Rep. Nguyen's HB2374 specifically increases penalties for stalking, harassment, assault, and threats when committed by foreign agents to coerce or retaliate against individuals for exercising their First Amendment rights. Additionally, foreign law enforcement who attempt to operate in Arizona will be charged with a Class 2 felony.
The bill is a response to cases of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) operating secret police stations within the United States to harass, intimidate, and "persuade" dissidents and critics of the regime, as Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) spoke of in January 2023.
"Safeguard Defenders revealed shocking evidence of Communist China carrying out illegal, transnational policing operations across 53 countries, including the United States, targeting overseas critics of the CCP for harassment, threats against their families in China, and 'persuasion' to get them to return home," said Sen. Scott.
In his press release, Rep. Nguyen recalled his own childhood in Vietnam, which he fled as a boy, saying, "I fled communist Vietnam as a child, so I know firsthand the devastating impact of government repression."
"No one in Arizona—no one in America—should have to live in fear of harassment, intimidation, or assault by foreign agents. This bill sends a clear message: we will not tolerate foreign governments trampling on our freedoms. House Republicans are committed to safeguarding individual rights, and HB2374 ensures that our laws stand firm against those who seek to silence and threaten people on American soil," the Arizona Representative continued.
The state-level bill follows Senator Ruben Gallego's (D-AZ) sponsorship of the Leveling the Playing Field 2.0 Act, which targets China's unfair trade practices that undermine American industry and workers.
