The Justice Department said Wednesday that citizens and noncitizens who act in the United States for a foreign government or foreign principal must register, and can face civil or criminal charges if they do not.
The warning covers two statutes. FARA requires people to publicly register if they act in the United States under the direction or control of a foreign government or other foreign principal. A separate criminal law, 18 U.S.C. § 951, requires notice when someone here acts as an agent of a foreign government. DOJ said those rules are meant to stop hidden agents, fake affiliations, and covert money from secretly shaping public debate, to “suborn sedition,” or to interfere with official proceedings.
The department said it will not punish protected speech or target people for their politics. It also said anyone who does public work for a foreign power, including protests meant to advance that power’s goals, must register or notify federal authorities. Failure can bring fines or up to five years in prison.
