The House approved legislation aimed at safeguarding Border Patrol agents from unlawful immigrants. The Agent Raul Gonzalez Officer Safety Act garnered substantial support, yet faced opposition predominantly from House Democrats. This liberal resistance poses challenges for Democrats in asserting their commitment to safeguarding Americans from foreign lawbreakers.
Last September, Representatives Juan Coscomani (R-AZ) and Monica De La Cruz (R-TX) presented the Agent Raul Gonzalez Officer Safety Act to the House. This legislation establishes a novel offense termed operating a motor vehicle within 100 miles of the U.S. border while evading pursuit by either Border Patrol or other law enforcement personnel.
Individuals convicted of this offense will be ineligible to seek asylum in the United States and will be subject to deportation. Additionally, if a Border Patrol agent is killed or sustains severe injuries in a high-speed pursuit, the perpetrator will be required to serve a mandatory prison sentence.
The legislation is titled in tribute to Border Patrol Agent Raul Gonzalez Jr., who lost his life on December 7, 2022, while chasing a cohort of illegal immigrants. Moreover, there’s a clear risk to civilians if undocumented individuals are driving recklessly to evade law enforcement, making a law deterring such perilous conduct likely to garner bipartisan backing.
Regrettably, bipartisan support was lacking. Merely 56 House Democrats aligned with Republicans to endorse the legislation. Conversely, 154, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) and Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-MA), voted against it. Thus far, they haven’t disclosed their rationale for opposing the bill, despite its focus on immigrants who jeopardize American lives, but they have faced criticism for their stance.
Remarkably, Representative Vicente Gonzales (D-TX), who serves the district where Agent Gonzales tragically lost his life while on duty, was among the Democrats who opposed the legislation. Delanie Bomar, a spokeswoman for the National Republican Congressional Committee, criticized his vote, suggesting that it requires a unique form of liberal ideology to deem the actions of these dangerous migrants as permissible.
