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Title 50, War and National DefenseRelease 119-102

§216 Preventing Transportation of Goods to Aid Insurrection

Title 50 › CHAPTER 13 — INSURRECTION › § 216

Last updated Aug 21, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Secretary of the Treasury can stop goods from being carried by ship, train, road, or any other way inside the United States when there is good reason to believe the goods are meant for places held by people rebelling against the United States or might soon fall into their hands. He can require reasonable guarantees that the goods won’t be sent to those places or used to help the rebels, make rules to enforce this, and any goods moved in defiance of the rules or any attempt to move them will be forfeited.

Full Legal Text

Title 50, §216

War and National Defense, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

The Secretary of the Treasury is authorized to prohibit and prevent the transportation in any vessel, or upon any railroad, turnpike, or other road or means of transportation within the United States, of any property, whatever may be the ostensible destination of the same, in all cases where there are satisfactory reasons to believe that such property is intended for any place in the possession or under the control of insurgents against the United States, or that there is imminent danger that such property will fall into the possession or under the control of such insurgents; and he is further authorized, in all cases where he deems it expedient so to do, to require reasonable security to be given that property shall not be transported to any place under insurrectionary control, and shall not, in any way, be used to give aid or comfort to such insurgents; and he may establish all such general or special regulations as may be necessary or proper to carry into effect the purposes of this section; and if any property is transported in violation of this chapter, or of any regulation of the Secretary of the Treasury, established in pursuance thereof, or if any attempt shall be made so to transport any, it shall be forfeited.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Codification R.S. § 5312 derived from act May 20, 1862, ch. 81, § 3, 12 Stat. 404.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

50 U.S.C. § 216

Title 50, War and National Defense

Last Updated

Aug 21, 2026

Release point: 119-102