A majority of House Democrats voted against legislation this week that would impose new criminal penalties for illegal aliens leading Border Patrol agents on often deadly high-speed chases.
On Tuesday, just 56 House Democrats joined 215 House Republicans to pass the “Agent Raul Gonzalez Officer Safety Act,” which would establish new criminal penalties for illegal aliens and others driving vehicles who try to evade Border Patrol agents within 100 miles of the United States-Mexico border.
“We appreciate House Republicans’ efforts to secure our lawless and chaotic border, protect the men and women on the frontlines, and make our communities safer,” Hector Garza, Vice President of the National Border Patrol Council, said in a statement.
The legislation, introduced by Rep. Jaun Ciscomani (R-AZ), also establishes a new criminal penalty, including a mandatory minimum prison sentence, for those who cause death or serious injury to a Border Patrol agent in a high-speed chase near the border.
Illegal aliens convicted of the crime, the legislation dictates, would be ineligible to claim asylum and deported from the U.S.
In total, 154 House Democrats voted against the legislation — including the party’s leadership, like House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) and Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-MA).
The legislation was named after Border Patrol agent Raul Humberto Gonzalez, Jr. — a father of two — who was killed in December 2022 while being led on a high-speed chase by a group of illegal aliens crossing the border.
“In December 2022, Border Patrol Agent Raul Gonzalez Jr. was killed pursuing a group of illegal immigrants in a high-speed chase … the House stands shoulder-to-shoulder with every law enforcement officer working to secure the border,” House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said of the legislation’s passage.
