Agent Raul Gonzalez Officer Safety Act

Floor Speech

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Ms. JAYAPAL. Mr. Speaker, do you remember when candidate Trump said that, on day one, he would end inflation and bring prices down for American citizens? That is, in fact, the number one reason he got elected.

Guess what, Mr. Speaker? He has done nothing on this. Republicans have spent no time on the floor trying to bring down prices for average Americans. In fact, the data that was just released yesterday says that prices have shot up because of many of the proposals that Donald Trump has put forward and the chaos he is inflicting on the economy.

Are we spending time on that here on the floor? No. We are wasting time on yet another attack on all immigrants, including U.S. citizens.

Once again, the majority is moving a bill to expand the Trump administration's mass deportation machine and trample on the core American principle of due process.

All of these bills that are being put forward utilize a very simple formula: first, take laws that are already on the books about deporting and making inadmissible to the United States people who are convicted of committing certain crimes and fool the American people into thinking somehow that is not already the law; and, second, dangerously expand those laws so that simply being accused of something or admitting to something that no one would reasonably consider being a crime makes it sufficient to now deport someone or make him inadmissible without any due process and without a fair day in court.

This is terrorizing communities across the country, and Donald Trump's obsession with using every lever of government to target immigrants has undermined our national security and our safety by forcing Federal law enforcement officials to abandon fighting drug trafficking or human smuggling and instead focus on arresting, detaining, and deporting immigrants who pose no threat to public safety. Many of them have lived and worked in this country for decades.

Already, we have seen the effects on U.S. citizens, with the unlawful detention of U.S. citizens, the targeting of Native Americans, and the arrest of countless people with no criminal records.

ICE agents are treating the act of speaking Spanish as probable cause for interrogation, and they are revoking all the crucial and successful legal pathways put in place by the Biden administration, like parole and temporary protected status, including, by the way, for Venezuelans and Cubans, who feel Trump's betrayal deeply.

This bill follows the same divisive, deceptive formula. H.R. 35 amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to create a new ground of deportability and inadmissibility for any noncitizen who admits fleeing from Border Patrol while operating a motor vehicle, whether or not they knew it was Border Patrol that they were fleeing from.

Mr. Speaker, let's be clear. Just as I said with the formula, being convicted of fleeing from Border Patrol or any law enforcement already makes a person deportable and inadmissible. That is current law. The key word here is ``convicted.''

Remember that when we talk about deportability, we are also talking about people who are in the United States lawfully. Many are green card holders and have lived in the United States for decades. If we are going to deport them, I hope that we would all agree that they should have basic due process rights and a day in court, just like any American would want for themselves.

That is why conviction is required for deportation. Convictions also mean that law enforcement can focus on the most serious criminals, not those who are simply accused and may well be innocent.

Let me also debunk the Republican argument that admitting to fleeing is the same as a conviction. That is simply not true. People may admit to fleeing without even knowing that the person chasing them is Border Patrol.

Let me give an example. Let's say that a woman is driving alone on a deserted road at night. She hears a siren. She sees an unmarked car behind her signaling that she should pull over. She had heard many stories about the men who prey on solo female drivers by pretending to be law enforcement, so she slows down and puts on her hazards. She even calls 911 to confirm that they have an officer in the area.

They confirm that one of their officers, who is deputized by CBP, is in the area, so she pulls over. When the officer comes up to her window, she says: I am sorry, Officer. I needed to keep driving while I confirmed that you were with law enforcement since you were in an unmarked car.

That constitutes an admission that she was intentionally fleeing from law enforcement. Under this bill, even if she is a lawful permanent resident who has been in this country for 10 years or 20 years, she has just rendered herself deportable. A conviction requirement importantly ensures that people have due process and that that essential context isn't missed.

Just last week, The Washington Post reported an uptick in people who are impersonating immigration enforcement officers to harass and attack people they suspect of being undocumented. One North Carolina man showed a woman a fake badge and told her that he would deport her if she didn't come to a motel and have sex with him.

He ended up being arrested and charged with impersonating law enforcement, kidnapping, second-degree forcible rape, and assault. In this environment, it is not surprising that people keep driving away when unmarked cars tell them to pull over, claiming to work with Border Patrol.

U.S. citizens should also be aware of the fact that the new criminal penalties in this bill would subject U.S. citizens to draconian mandatory minimums for something as minor as failing to immediately stop when hailed by an unmarked police car.

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Ms. JAYAPAL. Mr. Speaker, this bill applies to anyone within 100 miles of the border. That is two-thirds of the population of the United States, cities like Jacksonville; Charleston; Green Bay, Wisconsin; Grand Forks, North Dakota; and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

Fear is already pervasive. People are afraid to go to work and school. Businesses are hurting. Local economies and communities and States, from Nebraska to Ohio to Texas, are hurting.

Mr. Speaker, this bill plays on fear. It is cruel. It is unnecessary. It is dangerous for all Americans' due process rights. I urge my colleagues to vote ``no.''

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