Senators Call on Commerce Department to Blacklist Communist China's Institute of Forensic Science

Strategic Insights -

Senators Rick Scott and John Moolenaar have issued a letter to the Commerce Department, urging them to re-add the Institute of Forensic Science (IFS) to the Entity List, a move they believe is necessary to protect American national security from Communist China's surveillance and abuses. The IFS has been linked to the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) campaign of repression, particularly in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR), where Uyghur Muslims and other minorities have been subjected to internment, forced labor, and high-tech oppression. The senators' efforts are part of their ongoing push to pass the Confronting CCP Human Rights Abusers Act, which would re-designate the IFS on the Department of Commerce's Entity List.

Key Takeaways:

  • Senators Rick Scott and John Moolenaar have called on the Commerce Department to re-add the Institute of Forensic Science (IFS) to the Entity List due to its role in Communist China's surveillance and abuses.
  • The IFS has been linked to the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) campaign of repression, particularly in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR).
  • The IFS has played a key role in the surveillance state, enabling mass internment, forced labor, and high-tech oppression through biometric data harvesting and forensic tracking.
  • The senators are pushing to pass the Confronting CCP Human Rights Abusers Act, which would re-designate the IFS on the Department of Commerce's Entity List and restrict the flow of sensitive American technology to the IFS.
  • President Trump had previously designated the IFS on the Entity List in 2020, but the Biden administration reversed this decision in exchange for false promises of cooperation from the CCP on the fentanyl crisis.
  • The Confronting CCP Human Rights Abusers Act would also help to protect American values and national security by limiting the flow of technology that could be used to advance the CCP's military capability.

Statistics:

  • The Institute of Forensic Science (IFS) has been linked to the surveillance, internment, and abuse of Uyghur Muslims and other minorities in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR).
  • The IFS has played a key role in the surveillance state, enabling mass internment, forced labor, and high-tech oppression through biometric data harvesting and forensic tracking.
  • The Confronting CCP Human Rights Abusers Act aims to re-designate the IFS on the Department of Commerce's Entity List, restricting the flow of sensitive American technology to the IFS.

Sources:

  • https://www.rickscott.senate.gov/2025/8/sen-rick-scott-chair-john-moolenaar-call-on-commerce-dept-to-blacklist-communist-china-s-institute-of-forensic-science