Agent Raul Gonzalez Officer Safety Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. CISCOMANI. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. McClintock for yielding me time here to talk about this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to rise in support of my legislation, H.R. 35, the Agent Raul Gonzalez Officer Safety Act.

We have heard talk on both sides of the aisle on the floor on this bill on the merits of it, and I am very proud to be supporting this and to actually share a little bit of the story of how we came about this bill.

One of my first official meetings that I had after being elected in '22 was to go back to one of my border counties in Cochise. This meeting happened in early '23.

I asked them, if there is one bill that I could start on immediately, what would it be? This meeting included law enforcement, local law enforcement from the State, from the county, Border Patrol, and stakeholders. The unanimous vote and feedback was to make sure that something like what happened to Agent Raul Gonzalez never happened again. The issue we homed in on dealt with the issue of high-speed chases and the inability of law enforcement to be able to pull over and punish those that are fleeing law enforcement and their failure to yield not being a Federal crime. This was it.

To all those on the other side of the aisle here who criticize this bill as saying that it is anti-fill in the blank, this came from the same people that my friends on the other side claim that this is against. This is a bill that came from the feedback of those that are highly impacted by this in our border communities.

It is not only law enforcement that is suffering and actually being risked in this kind of activity, it is innocent bystanders that are hurt by these high-speed chases that are literally dying in border communities and being killed by these pursuits.

The bill is simple: It makes evading law enforcement within 100 miles of the border a Federal crime. To me, it is simply common sense that this should be a Federal crime. Far too many lives have been jeopardized and even tragically taken, like I said, at the hands of bad actors who engage in these high-speed chases.

If you evade CBP or local law enforcement, you clearly don't have good intentions. That is obvious. Unfortunately, the current law does not make this a crime in and of itself. It leaves the burden of prosecuting these individuals to our local border communities, as if they don't have enough challenges already with what the previous administration caused at the border.

Not only is this bill common sense, it is crucial and in some cases, even lifesaving.

To quote one of my constituents, he said: At least once a week there is a high-speed chase through town that includes a 15-mile-an-hour school zone. Do residents need to die to get the attention needed to correct the border problem?

The sad truth is that some have died, both law enforcement and innocent civilians. Law enforcement wants this bill, Mr. Speaker. Mayors in my border districts want this bill. My constituents want this bill, but every opposition that I have heard from my friends on the other side is coming from the same people that stood by as the previous administration and the White House caused this border crisis. Forgive me if I am not moved by those arguments. I am moved by the feedback from those that are on the front lines of this border crisis.

I consistently hear about the detrimental impact that high-speed chases have in southeastern Arizona and across the southern border, specifically in the county that I mentioned earlier, Cochise County.

This criminal activity is not just reserved to drug cartels or illegal immigrants or smugglers themselves. These cartels are targeting American citizens to be those drivers. In most cases, those drivers happen to be American citizens, as well.

Yes, this legislation goes beyond just the illegal immigrants that are driving. It goes to punish also U.S. citizens that are engaging in this activity. Anyone endangering American lives should be held to account.

This bill is about supporting our law enforcement communities who deal with this crisis on a daily basis to stop the smuggling and trafficking.

In calendar year 2022 and 2023, Cochise County reports booking 2,884 individuals for border-related crimes, costing over $9.4 million to that local community. This is in one county, in one State. I have seen the toll it takes firsthand in our communities.

We should be asking ourselves why these people are fleeing law enforcement. The answer is: These are bad actors who the cartels want to evade law enforcement.

Finally, I will highlight the hero that this bill is named after.

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Mr. CISCOMANI. Agent Raul Gonzalez was killed in 2022 while pursuing illegal immigrants in Texas. His death underscores the tragic truth that our Customs and Border Protection agents and officers risk their lives every day to protect our community.

By passing this legislation, we are showing them that we have their backs. That is why this bill is supported by law enforcement groups like the National Border Patrol Council and the National Sheriffs' Association and many local law enforcement groups in Arizona, as well.

This bill passed last Congress with bipartisan support. I hope and encourage my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this bill, prioritize border security, and make our border communities safer.

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