18 U.S.C. § 1119 — Foreign murder of United States nationals

(a) Definition. In this section, a "national of the United States" has the meaning given in a different law, section 101(a)(22) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. This section does not define the term itself. (b) Offense. A U.S. national commits a crime by killing or attempting to kill another U.S. national. This applies if it happens outside the United States but inside another country's jurisdiction. The punishment follows the rules for murder or manslaughter under sections 1111, 1112, and 1113. (c) Limitations on Prosecution. No one may be prosecuted under this section unless the Attorney General, the Deputy Attorney General, or an Assistant Attorney General approves in writing first. This approval power cannot be handed off to anyone else. No approval can be given if a foreign country already prosecuted the same conduct. A prosecution also needs a second finding. The Attorney General must work with the Secretary of State on this. Together they must determine that the person is no longer in the country where the killing happened. They must also find that country cannot lawfully get the person back. Courts cannot review the Attorney General's decision on this point.

The record. According to the source credit, this section was added by Public Law 103-322, title VI, § 60009(a), enacted September 13, 1994, and published at 108 Stat. 1972. The credit line reflects a single enacting entry, with no subsequent amendments noted in the historical record supplied here. The section thus appears to have remained in its originally enacted form since 1994. Historical context. Public Law 103-322 is widely known as the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, a large omnibus crime bill addressing numerous areas of federal criminal law, including violent crime, sentencing, and law enforcement funding. The Act is generally understood to have been part of a broader legislative response to public concern over crime rates and gaps in federal criminal jurisdiction during that period. Title VI of the Act dealt with various federal criminal offenses, and provisions establishing federal jurisdiction over the killing of U.S. nationals abroad are commonly associated with efforts to ensure that Americans harmed overseas — particularly in situations involving weak or unwilling foreign prosecution — could still be subject to U.S. legal accountability. However, the specific legislative purpose behind this particular section, including any committee deliberations or sponsor statements explaining its inclusion, is not established by the record provided. No further inference should be drawn beyond this general understanding of the surrounding Act.