Last week Bracewell discussed the Trump administration’s initial easing of restrictions on Venezuelan oil with General License (GL) 46, which opened the door for US companies to revive the long-inaccessible industry. However,...more
Hours after the US military strike that ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, President Trump announced that, “very large US oil companies, the biggest anywhere in the world” would “go in, spend billions of dollars, fix...more
2/4/2026
/ Economic Sanctions ,
Energy Sector ,
Export Controls ,
General Licenses ,
International Trade ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Oil & Gas ,
Popular ,
Trump Administration ,
U.S. Treasury ,
US Trade Policies
In August, Bracewell discussed the evolving impact of UK and EU sanctions on corporations in the energy and infrastructure sectors. In a significant escalation, in October, the UK, US and EU changed the landscape again by...more
Federal law has long required recipients of federal funds to comply with anti-discrimination laws. Over the last decade, initiatives under the label Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (“DEI”) became a widespread vehicle for...more
It just got much riskier to do business in Mexico. On June 25, 2025, the US Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) issued a novel set of orders finding three financial institutions in...more
7/24/2025
/ Anti-Money Laundering ,
Cartels ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Financial Institutions ,
FinCEN ,
Mexico ,
Money Laundering ,
Opioid ,
Risk Management
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
4/3/2025
/ Anti-Money Laundering ,
Cartels ,
Civil Liability ,
Criminal Liability ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Financial Institutions ,
International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) ,
Mexico ,
Money Laundering ,
National Security ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Popular ,
Terrorist Organizations ,
Trump Administration
The US State Department has made its first round of designations pursuant to Executive Order 14157, “Designating Cartels and Other Organizations as Foreign Terrorist Organizations and Specially Designated Global Terrorists,”...more
2/27/2025
/ Anti-Corruption ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Executive Orders ,
Foreign Entities ,
Foreign Investment ,
Foreign Policy ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Risk Management ,
Terrorism Funding
Shortly after President Trump’s second inauguration, his executive branch took steps to further one of his signature promises: securing the southern border. While these actions primarily impact immigration laws, several...more