8 U.S.C. § 1189 — Foreign Terrorist Organisation Designation

Summary

Authorises the US Secretary of State to designate foreign organisations as Foreign Terrorist Organisations (FTOs). The LTTE was designated an FTO in 1997. Designation triggers a prohibition on material support, mandatory blocking of funds, and inadmissibility of FTO members to the United States.

Relevance to the diaspora

Tamil-American diaspora members who provided any financial or logistical support to LTTE-linked organisations prior to or after designation face prosecution; Tamil refugees and visa applicants with LTTE associations face inadmissibility under 8 U.S.C. §1182(a)(3)(B).

Key provisions

• §1189(a)(1) — Secretary of State designation authority
• §1189(a)(3)(B) — criteria: foreign organisation, engages in terrorist activity, threatens US nationals or national security
• §1189(b)(1) — judicial review limited to DC Circuit
• §1189(d)(2) — revocation procedure
• Related: 8 USC §1182(a)(3)(B) — inadmissibility of FTO members

Primary source

Related entries

• → 18 U.S.C. §§ 2339A & 2339B — Material Support to Terrorism (US)
• → Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act 1996 (AEDPA) (US)
• → Anti-terrorism Act 2001 (Canada) (CA)