Designed for busy in-house counsel and compliance professionals, this newsletter summarizes some of the most important domestic and international Anti-Money Laundering (AML) regulatory and enforcement developments from the...more
The United States had imposed layers of sanctions on Syria since deeming it a State Sponsor of Terrorism in 1979. The U.S. Treasury imposed most sanctions during the Iraq War and the Syrian Civil War. In December 2024, Hay’at...more
In this weekly update, we summarise the most notable updates in the UK sanctions world. If you have any questions in respect of any of the developments set out below, please do not hesitate to contact a member of our London...more
On June 25, 2025, FinCEN issued its first orders under the 2024 FEND Off Fentanyl Act (FOFA), imposing special measures against three Mexican financial firms—CIBanco S.A., Institución de Banca Múltiple (CIBanco), Intercam...more
In 2019, Congress enacted the Promoting Security and Justice for Victims of Terrorism Act (PSJVTA), which created jurisdiction over the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) for...more
On June 10, 2025, the Deputy Attorney General issued the highly anticipated Guidelines for Investigations and Enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) (“Guidelines”), complying with the directive in President...more
On February 20, 2025, the United States designated eight cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) and Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs). Since then, the US...more
The U.S. Department of State (DOS) has temporarily paused the scheduling of new visa interviews for international students and exchange visitors applying for F, M and J visas. This directive, effective May 27, 2025, is part...more
The U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) on May 23, 2025, announced a significant relaxation of the comprehensive economic sanctions imposed on Syria through the issuance of General...more
The Trump administration remains focused on countering Mexican cartels and other Latin American transnational criminal organizations (TCOs). Since designating eight TCOs as foreign terrorist organizations (FTOs), the...more
On May 22, 2025, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem ordered the Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”) to terminate Harvard University’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program (“SEVP”) certification for alleged...more
On May 12, 2025, the Department of Justice (the “DOJ”) released its criminal—and, more specifically, white collar crime enforcement—initiatives under the current administration. This is typical each time new leadership...more
President Donald Trump announced Tuesday during his trip to the Middle East that his administration would lift U.S. sanctions on Syria. Since the shock collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria late last year, the...more
U.S. and Mexican companies and financial institutions are seeking to navigate AML/CFT, sanctions, export control, and tariff and supply chain concerns as their governments’ make rapid changes around trade and tariffs and ramp...more
On January 20, 2025, President Donald J. Trump signed Executive Order 14157, “Designating Cartels and Other Organizations as Foreign Terrorist Organizations and Specially Designated Global Terrorists” (EO 14157)....more
The Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) created a federal cause of action enabling U.S. nationals injured by reason of an "act of international terrorism" to sue those allegedly responsible for their injuries; it was later amended to...more
On April 7, 2025, the Department of Justice (DOJ) released a memo for all department employees titled “Ending Regulation By Prosecution.” ...more
As discussed in Bracewell’s February 11 and February 26 updates, the executive branch is prioritizing the “total elimination” of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, both through edicts from the Oval Office and...more
A couple of weeks into the 2025 legislative session, Florida legislators are considering a suite of bills focused on "foreign principals" and their political activities, access to critical infrastructure, procurement,...more
We have written previously about the new administration’s significant shifts in its approach to criminal enforcement and prosecution of money laundering cases. Specifically, we wrote about shifts at the U.S. Department of...more
The Trump administration continues to ramp up sanctions on Venezuela and Yemen's Houthis, while sending mixed signals about its intentions with respect to Russia. We provide brief updates on these three areas, following up...more
On January 20, 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order (EO) titled “Protecting the United States from Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats.” This order launched a 60-day...more
The Situation: After President Trump issued an Executive Order ("EO") that creates a process to designate international cartels and other organizations as "Foreign Terrorist Organizations" ("FTOs") or "Specially Designated...more
In early January 2025, Interpol published its first Silver Notice seeking information about assets held worldwide by a senior member of the Italian mafia. The Silver Notice is the latest addition to Interpol’s suite of...more
Effective February 20, 2025, the United States Designated Eight Cartels and Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs) as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) and Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs)....more