Bipartisan legislation introduced by U.S. Rep. María Elvira Salazar (R-FL) to bolster U.S.–Caribbean security cooperation and counter criminal and authoritarian threats in the region advanced to the full U.S. House of Representatives following a markup by the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Jan. 21.
The committee approved an amended version of the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative Authorization Act, H.R. 4368, which Rep. Salazar cosponsored in July 2025 alongside bill sponsor U.S. Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-NY).
“This bill draws a clear line: the Caribbean is not for sale,” Rep. Salazar said. “It strengthens security, confronts corruption, and makes clear that America, not Beijing or Havana, is the partner of choice in our hemisphere.”
If enacted, H.R. 4368 would authorize and modernize the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI) to improve maritime and border security, combat transnational organized crime, disrupt illicit financial networks, enhance law enforcement and prosecutorial capacity, fight corruption, and improve resilience to natural disasters across the Caribbean, according to a bill summary provided by the congresswoman’s staff.
“After cutting off the economic oxygen sustaining Maduro’s regime, the United States is back where it belongs in the Caribbean, standing shoulder to shoulder with our partners and taking on criminal networks,” said Rep. Salazar. “But the work is not finished. Transnational gangs, narco-traffickers, and corrupt networks, backed by Communist Cuba, Communist China, Russia, and Iran, continue to undermine the rule of law across the region.”
Specifically, H.R. 4368 would prioritize cooperation with democratic allies such as the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, and Guyana, while rejecting partnerships with dictators and authoritarian regimes, the summary says.
The measure also would codify and expand CBSI’s mission to address evolving threats, strengthen regional resilience to natural disasters, and provide long-term authorization for CBSI to help ensure the United States remains the leading security partner in the Western Hemisphere, states the summary.