{"database": "openregs", "table": "congressional_record", "rows": [["CREC-2025-02-13-pt1-PgH682-7", "2025-02-13", 119, 1, null, null, "AGENT RAUL GONZALEZ OFFICER SAFETY ACT", "HOUSE", "HOUSE", "ALLOTHER", "H682", "H691", "[{\"name\": \"Tom McClintock\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}, {\"name\": \"Jamie Raskin\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}, {\"name\": \"Ben Cline\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}, {\"name\": \"Pramila Jayapal\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}, {\"name\": \"Michael Guest\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}, {\"name\": \"Janelle S. Bynum\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}, {\"name\": \"Monica De La Cruz\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}, {\"name\": \"Rashida Tlaib\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}, {\"name\": \"Robert F. Onder, Jr.\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}, {\"name\": \"Jim Jordan\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}, {\"name\": \"Juan Ciscomani\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}, {\"name\": \"Betty McCollum\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}, {\"name\": \"Brittany Pettersen\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}]", "[{\"congress\": \"119\", \"type\": \"HRES\", \"number\": \"5\"}, {\"congress\": \"119\", \"type\": \"HRES\", \"number\": \"5\"}, {\"congress\": \"119\", \"type\": \"HR\", \"number\": \"35\"}, {\"congress\": \"119\", \"type\": \"HR\", \"number\": \"35\"}, {\"congress\": \"119\", \"type\": \"HR\", \"number\": \"35\"}]", "171 Cong. Rec. H682", "Congressional Record, Volume 171 Issue 30 (Thursday, February 13, 2025)\n\n[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 30 (Thursday, February 13, 2025)]\n[House]\n[Pages H682-H691]\nFrom the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]\n\n                 AGENT RAUL GONZALEZ OFFICER SAFETY ACT\n\n  Mr. McCLINTOCK. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 5, I call\nup the bill (H.R. 35) to impose criminal\n\n[[Page H683]]\n\nand immigration penalties for intentionally fleeing a pursuing Federal\nofficer while operating a motor vehicle, and ask for its immediate\nconsideration in the House.\n  The Clerk read the title of the bill.\n  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to House Resolution 5, the bill is\nconsidered read.\n  The text of the bill is as follows:\n\n                                H.R. 35\n\n       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of\n     the United States of America in Congress assembled,\n\n     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.\n\n       This Act may be cited as ``Agent Raul Gonzalez Officer\n     Safety Act''.\n\n     SEC. 2. CRIMINAL PENALTIES FOR EVADING ARREST OR DETENTION.\n\n       (a) In General.--Chapter 2 of title 18, United States Code,\n     is amended by adding at the end the following:\n\n     ``Sec. 40B. Evading arrest or detention while operating a\n       motor vehicle\n\n       ``(a) Offense.--A person commits an offense under this\n     section by operating a motor vehicle within 100 miles of the\n     United States border while intentionally fleeing from--\n       ``(1) a pursuing U.S. Border Patrol agent acting pursuant\n     to lawful authority; or\n       ``(2) any pursuing Federal, State, or local law enforcement\n     officer who is actively assisting, or under the command of,\n     U.S. Border Patrol.\n       ``(b) Penalties.--\n       ``(1) In general.--Except as provided in paragraphs (2) and\n     (3), any person who commits an offense described in\n     subsection (a) shall be--\n       ``(A) imprisoned for a term of not more than 2 years;\n       ``(B) fined under this title; or\n       ``(C) subject to the penalties described in subparagraphs\n     (A) and (B).\n       ``(2) Serious bodily injury.--If serious bodily injury\n     results from the commission of an offense described in\n     subsection (a), the person committing such offense shall be--\n       ``(A) imprisoned for a term of not less than 5 years and\n     not more than 20 years;\n       ``(B) fined under this title; or\n       ``(C) subject to the penalties described in subparagraphs\n     (A) and (B).\n       ``(3) Death.--If the death of any person results from the\n     commission of an offense described in subsection (a), the\n     person committing such offense shall be--\n       ``(A) imprisoned for a term of not less than 10 years and\n     up to life;\n       ``(B) fined under this title; or\n       ``(C) subject to the penalties described in subparagraphs\n     (A) and (B).''.\n       (b) Clerical Amendment.--The analysis for chapter 2 of\n     title 18, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end\n     the following:\n\n``40B. Evading arrest or detention while operating a motor vehicle.''.\n\n     SEC. 3. INADMISSIBILITY, DEPORTABILITY, AND INELIGIBILITY\n                   RELATED TO EVADING ARREST OR DETENTION WHILE\n                   OPERATING A MOTOR VEHICLE.\n\n       (a) Inadmissibility.--Section 212(a)(2) of the Immigration\n     and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1182(a)(2)) is amended by\n     adding at the end the following:\n       ``(J) Evading arrest or detention while operating a motor\n     vehicle.--Any alien who has been convicted of, who admits\n     having committed, or who admits committing acts which\n     constitute the essential elements of a violation of section\n     40B(a) of title 18, United States Code, is inadmissible.''.\n       (b) Deportability.--Section 237(a)(2) of the Immigration\n     and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1227(a)(2)) is amended by\n     adding at the end the following:\n       ``(G) Evading arrest or detention while operating a motor\n     vehicle.--Any alien who has been convicted of, who admits\n     having committed, or who admits committing acts which\n     constitute the essential elements of a violation of section\n     40B(a) of title 18, United States Code, is deportable.''.\n       (c) Ineligibility for Relief.--Chapter 2 of title II of the\n     Immigration and Nationality Act is amended by inserting after\n     section 208 the following:\n\n     ``SEC. 208A. INELIGIBILITY FOR RELIEF RELATED TO EVADING\n                   ARREST OR DETENTION WHILE OPERATING A MOTOR\n                   VEHICLE.\n\n       ``Any alien who has been convicted of, who admits having\n     committed, or who admits committing acts which constitute the\n     essential elements of a violation of section 40B(a) of title\n     18, United States Code, shall be ineligible for relief under\n     the immigration laws, including asylum under section 208.''.\n\n     SEC. 4. ANNUAL REPORT.\n\n       The Attorney General, in conjunction with the Secretary of\n     Homeland Security, shall submit an annual report to the\n     Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate and the Committee on\n     the Judiciary of the House of Representatives that--\n       (1) identifies the number of people who committed a\n     violation of section 40B(a) of title 18, United States Code,\n     as added by section 2(a); and\n       (2) summarizes--\n       (A) the number of individuals who were charged with the\n     violation referred to in paragraph (1);\n       (B) the number of individuals who were apprehended but not\n     charged with such violation;\n       (C) the number of individuals who committed such violation\n     but were not apprehended;\n       (D) the penalties sought in the charging documents\n     pertaining to such violation; and\n       (E) the penalties imposed for such violation.\n\n  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The bill shall be debatable for 1 hour,\nequally divided and controlled by the majority leader and minority\nleader, or their respective designees.\n  The gentleman from California (Mr. McClintock) and the gentleman from\nMaryland (Mr. Raskin) each will control 30 minutes.\n  The Chair now recognizes the gentleman from California (Mr.\nMcClintock).\n\n                              {time}  0915\n\n                             General Leave\n\n  Mr. McCLINTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members\nmay have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks\nand insert extraneous material on H.R. 35.\n  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the\ngentleman from California?\n  There was no objection.\n  Mr. McCLINTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may\nconsume.\n  Mr. Speaker, one of the great tragedies that came of the Democrats' 4\nyears of open-border policies was the number of fatalities of American\ncitizens and law enforcement officers that were caused by high-speed\nchases of human and drug smugglers and illegal aliens who poured across\nour southern border.\n  The Democrats' open-border policies incentivized and encouraged these\ntragedies by creating the conditions that made these deadly high-speed\nchases commonplace.\n  Just last year, Border Patrol agents in Eagle Pass told us that in\nthe Del Rio sector alone, the cartels were making $32 million every\nweek from human smuggling. That is just one sector of the southwest\nborder.\n  These policies created an enormous incentive that emboldened\ncriminals and cartels and human smugglers and illegal aliens alike.\nHigh-speed chases with smugglers occurred almost daily in these border\ncommunities, placing both law enforcement officials and innocent\nAmericans in grave danger.\n  For example, last year, criminals led the Texas Department of Public\nSafety officers on a high-speed chase outside of Del Rio as they\nattempted to smuggle half a dozen illegal aliens into the interior of\nour country. At least one of the smugglers himself was a foreign\nnational from Nicaragua. Amazingly, the Biden-Harris administration\nrewarded this criminal alien with a work authorization.\n  These criminals also smuggle deadly drugs, like fentanyl, which has\npoisoned thousands of Americans.\n  Roughly 1 month ago, in California, a high-speed chase ensued after\ntwo men had their car referred for secondary inspection at a port of\nentry. Border Patrol officers ultimately stopped the men and recovered\nnearly 5 pounds of fentanyl. That is enough to kill more than 100,000\nAmericans.\n  At the beginning of the last Congress, Cochise County, Arizona,\nSheriff Mark Dannels, a 38-year veteran of law enforcement, testified\nbefore the House Judiciary Committee. Sheriff Dannels told us about a\nwoman named ``Wanda'' from his county who was killed while driving to\nher own 65th birthday party by an individual who was evading law\nenforcement while smuggling illegal aliens. She had hoped to enjoy some\ntime at the party with her son, who was receiving treatment for stage\nIV cancer. According to Sheriff Dannels, the criminal who caused the\ncrash was smuggling illegal aliens when he fled from law enforcement\nofficers, blew through a red light, and crashed into Wanda's car,\ncutting it in half and instantly killing her.\n  These dangerous car crashes kill our law enforcement heroes, as well.\nOn December 7, 2022, Border Patrol Officer Raul Humberto Gonzalez got\nup, got dressed, and he left for work. His family would never see him\nagain. He was killed later that day in Mission, Texas, doing his job\ntrying to protect our country. A group of illegal aliens led him on a\nhigh-speed chase that ended in a fatal wreck that took his life.\n  Authorities do not have the tools to fully prosecute and punish these\ncriminals. Currently the failure to yield to a\n\n[[Page H684]]\n\nBorder Patrol agent or any other law enforcement officer assisting\nBorder Patrol is not explicitly criminalized under Federal law.\n  At the same time, there are no specific immigration consequences for\nforeign nationals, including illegal aliens, who intentionally evade\nthe Border Patrol. In other words, criminals and foreign nationals have\nlittle incentive not to evade them.\n  On November 5, the American people sent a strong message to the\nworld: There is only one pathway into the United States, and that is to\nobey our laws.\n  This bill sends a message that we will no longer tolerate those who\nevade our law enforcement officers who are upholding those laws.\n  H.R. 35 is named in honor and in memory of Agent Gonzalez. It ensures\nthat those who endanger border communities and law enforcement officers\nby failing to yield to Border Patrol agents will face meaningful\nconsequences, ensuring these illegal aliens can be prosecuted and will\nbe ineligible for immigration relief under our laws.\n  This legislation also provides escalating criminal penalties if the\nevasion results in serious bodily injury or death to another person.\n  Last session, this bill passed on a bipartisan basis, although 154 of\nour Democratic colleagues opposed this commonsense measure. Taking\ntheir cue, Senate Democrats refused to take it up last year. That is\ninexplicable to me. I don't understand that.\n  I hope that today, after Democrats have had time to reflect on the\nmatter, especially in light of the decisive verdict of the American\npeople last November, that more of our Democratic colleagues will have\nseen the light and will join us in protecting the American people from\nthese dangerous criminals and cartels and human smugglers.\n  Mr. Speaker, I thank Arizona Representative Juan Ciscomani for his\nleadership on this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.\n  Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.\n  Mr. Speaker, I begin with an urgent constitutional public service\nannouncement based on millions of calls and messages that have been\nflooding Congress.\n  There is a serial constitutional violator at large right now in the\nDistrict of Columbia whose overall project to dismantle our\nConstitution and rule of law is now the target or subject of at least a\ndozen different Federal court temporary restraining orders and\npreliminary injunctions across the land and also faces emergency civil\nactions in dozens of other courts and jurisdictions.\n\n  The suspect has been described as a very evil individual by Steve\nBannon and has been operating in a clandestine fashion with a night\ncrew of computer-hacking juvenile associates, one of whom goes by the\nalias of ``Big Balls'' and another one they call ``the kid,'' who has\nbeen known to post racist and anti-Semitic provocations online.\n  The accelerating spree of constitutional offenses alarming the Nation\ninvolves dozens of episodes of computer fraud and data theft affecting\npotentially 300 million Americans and escalating threats against\ncongressionally created Federal agencies serving the people from the\nNIH to the National Weather Service to NOAA to the Department of\nJustice; public workers; teachers and students; prosecutors of cop-\nassaulting criminals and seditious conspirators against our government;\nFBI agents; and anyone who depends on Social Security, Medicare,\nMedicaid, or any other computerized public payment system.\n  The apparent ringleader of all the constitutional mayhem is a\nreported father of 12, a formerly deportable undocumented immigrant who\nworked illegally in the country and is apparently part of a loose\nnetwork of Silicon Valley billionaires who oppose American\nconstitutional democracy and openly favor creation of a monarchical\ntechno-state under their control.\n  The suspect was seen yesterday in the vicinity of 1600 Pennsylvania\nAvenue NW and is known to have been consorting as recently as a few\ndays ago with a convicted felon from New York.\n  Described as the richest person in the world, the suspect is both a\ngovernment contractor with billions of dollars in defense contracts--\nand we learned yesterday $400 million slated from the State Department\nfor some of his armored Tesla vehicles--and also he is a part-time\ngovernment worker whose many taxpayer-supported businesses are being\ninvestigated, fined, or sued by numerous Federal agencies, including\nthe Department of Transportation, the National Labor Relations Board,\nthe Department of Justice, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau,\nand the Securities and Exchange Commission.\n  The suspect has allegedly been working to seize control over several\nof these same agencies to shut them down, which would presumably\nterminate all of the relevant threatening investigations.\n  The public has never received from the suspect any ethics disclosure\nforms required of all Federal workers nor any conflict of interest\nwaiver to resolve his glaring conflicts of interest.\n  The suspect spent his formative years in apartheid South Africa and\nhas been known to post racist and anti-Semitic material and to engage\nin a Nazi salute in public.\n  Steve Bannon calls him a truly evil individual. The ringleader and\nhis associates, sometimes called the Muskovites, have been seen by\nnumerous Federal workers violating the separation of powers and the\nSpending Clause, usurping the powers of this body, trampling the civil\nservice laws, and violating the rights of both his Federal and\ncorporate workers.\n  The suspect, his sponsors, and accomplices should be considered\ndangerous to the constitutional rights, freedoms, and institutions of\nthe people as well as their property, their jobs, and their\nlivelihoods.\n  If you know anything about the situation and you are a Republican\nMember, please get in touch immediately with the Democrats so we can\nform a majority to stop this unprecedented attack on the Constitution\nand American law and order before we end up like apartheid South Africa\nor Orban's Hungary or Putin's Russia.\n  Now, back to our regularly scheduled program where we avoid the\nconstitutional crisis overtaking the first and greatest multiracial,\nmultiethnic constitutional democracy on Earth and instead pass\ncompletely redundant, unnecessary, and sloppily drafted laws that allow\nus to vote against immigrants, whether documented or undocumented, as\nElon Musk was, without either engaging in comprehensive immigration\nreform or fixing the border.\n  Now, with this bill, House Republicans are once again seeking to take\npolitical advantage of a horrific crime by seizing on the death of\nAgent Gonzalez in the performance of his duties, while doing nothing to\nmake our border more secure or to repair our broken immigration system.\n  Everyone knows, of course, that they blew up the bipartisan border\nsecurity deal that we had at the end of the last Congress.\n  H.R. 35 seeks to establish new criminal and immigration penalties on\nanyone--citizens, permanent residents, documented immigrants, or\nundocumented immigrants--for this offense: fleeing a Border Patrol\nagent or a law enforcement officer who is working with the Border\nPatrol.\n  Fleeing Border Patrol at the border already carries substantial\ncriminal and legal penalties under current law. That is already a\ncrime. Under 18 U.S. Code 758, whoever flees or evades a checkpoint\noperated by the Customs and Border Protection, or any other law\nenforcement agency, in a motor vehicle and flees from Federal, State,\nor local law enforcement in excess of the legal speed limit can be\ncharged with and convicted of high-speed flight from an immigration\ncheckpoint.\n\n  Furthermore, many decades of prosecution and case law make it\nperfectly clear that fleeing law enforcement is a crime involving moral\nturpitude for which a conviction will render a noncitizen, whether\ndocumented or undocumented, immediately deportable and inadmissible to\nthe country.\n  In other words, what they are dragging us through again is already\nagainst the law. If all of it is already a crime, why do we need\nanother version of it, except for plainly opportunistic political\npurposes.\n  I know those are the only bills they have been bringing forward. They\nhave got no other agenda for the country. They have handed over the\nlegislative authority of the Congress of the United\n\n[[Page H685]]\n\nStates to Elon Musk, the fourth branch of government.\n  In any event, they want us to pass again something that is already\nagainst the law. We don't need it. In fact, this characteristically\npoorly drafted, pile-on bill is so poorly drafted this time that it\ncould subject not just undocumented people, not just permanent\nresidents, but American citizens to prison sentences for conduct that\nthe vast majority of Americans would not even recognize as a crime at\nall and would not see as a crime.\n  Now, unlike existing Federal law or similar State statutes, the bill\ndoes not define what it means to ``flee.'' In their haste to get this\nto the floor, they just rushed over that element of the crime, which is\nof extraordinary interest to every other jurisdiction and even Congress\nbefore when dealing with it. Leave that aside, it does not even require\nevidence of criminal intent, a guilty mind, what lawyers call mens rea,\nthe intention to do the evil thing.\n\n                              {time}  0930\n\n  In other words, this bill does not require a person to know that they\nare fleeing Border Patrol in order to be charged with that crime.\n  Think about it, Mr. Speaker. It applies to citizens, not just\nnoncitizens, and you can be prosecuted and jailed for fleeing from a\nBorder Patrol that you didn't know was Border Patrol.\n  This is a radical departure from the prevailing rule in American\njurisdictions.\n  For example, in Maryland--I looked up my State--the offense of\nfleeing or eluding law enforcement requires that a uniformed officer\ngives a person a visual or audible signal to stop and prominently\ndisplays their official badge or other insignia. If an officer is not\nin uniform, Maryland requires that an officer give a visual or audible\nsignal to stop while in an officially marked police vehicle to\nestablish the necessary mens rea before we put somebody in prison.\nUnder either circumstance, a visual or audible signal can be by hand,\nvoice, emergency light, or siren.\n  It is not only blue States like mine that require evidence that the\naccused knew what they were doing was wrong before convicting them of\npurposefully fleeing from law enforcement. That is the rule almost\neverywhere.\n  I am sure the Crime and Federal Government Surveillance Subcommittee\nchairman, Mr. Biggs, and the sponsor of this bill, Mr. Ciscomani, are\naware that, in Arizona, the offense of unlawful flight from pursuing\nlaw enforcement requires proof that the officer's vehicle had markings\nindicative of an official police vehicle, evidence that the driver knew\nthat the vehicle was an official law enforcement vehicle, or the\ndefendant must admit knowing that the vehicle was an official police\nvehicle.\n  In other words, their own State takes the exact painstaking\nprecautions that they just run roughshod over in order to get this\nbill, which has not had a hearing, to the floor of the United States\nHouse of Representatives.\n  Should a defendant choose to exercise their right to trial by jury,\nthe trial judge in Arizona would instruct the jury that they may\nconsider whether the officer operated their emergency lights or siren\nto determine whether the defendant is guilty of unlawful flight from an\nactual pursuing vehicle.\n  As was stated in the collaborative reports ``Without Intent'' and\n``Without Intent Revisited,'' published by The Heritage Foundation,\nwhich is adamant about mens rea, and the National Association of\nCriminal Defense Lawyers, ``Ensuring that an adequate mens rea\nprovision is included in statutes and regulations that create criminal\noffenses is critical.''\n  The Heritage Foundation says that it is critical to specify that\nthere must be a culpable or guilty state of mind before we put people\nbehind bars. It appears that nearly every State recognized this fact\nwhen drafting their statutes carefully to address the fears and\nconsequences associated with people fleeing law enforcement.\n  We don't want people going to jail because they were simply moving\naway from a person they thought was a criminal who turns out to be, for\nexample, an undercover police officer.\n  As a matter of fact, of the States represented by the 32 cosponsors\nof this legislation, all but two of them specifically require, at\nminimum, an audible or visual signal to stop the vehicle to prove that\nthere was intentional flight from a pursuing officer.\n  Looking at statutes that address similar conduct in all 50 States,\nthere are only 6 that do not explicitly require an order, direction,\nrequest, or signal to stop the vehicle.\n  Despite this widely accepted approach to legislative construction,\nH.R. 35 would allow Donald Trump's Department of Justice to not only\nconvict noncitizens but citizens of a violation of this so-called\noffense and to deport noncitizens without allowing them their day in\ncourt and without requiring any evidence of any knowledge that they\nwere actually fleeing a government agent.\n  Without any limiting characteristics, under this bill, a citizen\ncould be sent to prison because they did not immediately pull over when\nhailed by someone--for example, a local undercover officer assisting\nBorder Patrol.\n  Similarly, in the immigration context, admitting to acts that\nconstitute this nebulous and vague conduct would render a green card\nholder deportable.\n  The bill applies its criminal immigration penalties even if the law\nenforcement officer is in plain clothes and is driving an unmarked\nundercover vehicle.\n  There are a lot of good reasons why a law-abiding citizen or\npermanent resident might be wary of pulling over for an unmarked\nvehicle. Just last week, reports emerged of an alarming trend across\nthe country of rapists, criminals, or vigilantes pretending to be\nimmigration enforcement personnel targeting people whom they thought\nmight be undocumented in order to rape them, assault them, harass them,\nor what have you.\n  I saw on TV a case last night of a sexual assailant who accosted a\nwoman and forcibly assaulted her while pretending to be an ICE agent. I\nsaw that last night.\n  Another man, Sean-Michael Johnson, was arrested for impersonating a\nlaw enforcement officer, along with felony kidnapping, larceny, and\nassault and battery, after he impersonated an ICE agent and stopped a\ngroup of men in their car because he told them they were not lawfully\npresent in the country.\n  In this environment, Mr. Speaker, it would be neither unreasonable\nnor surprising for law-abiding citizens to be wary of pulling over for\nan unmarked car that claims to be working with Border Patrol. Further,\ngiven that the Trump administration is deputizing anyone they can to\nget to aid immigration enforcement efforts, the number of officers,\nboth in police clothing and in unmarked clothing, to whom this law\nwould apply is staggering.\n  In backing this bill, our colleagues want to impose extraordinary\ncriminal and immigration consequences for not immediately pulling over\nwhen an unmarked car driven by a total stranger hails you at a time\nwhen criminals, including a pardoned January 6 felon, by the way, are\ngoing around impersonating immigration enforcement officers.\n\n  That is a real trend happening now, and I would love to be convinced\nit is not if the gentleman has reason to think that all of these\nreports and arrests of people impersonating officers are wrong.\n  This is a trend in the country. All of this is simply to give more\npower to target immigrants, which already exists, just for the purposes\nof a legislative show. This is outrageous.\n  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to oppose the legislation, and I\nreserve the balance of my time.\n  Mr. McCLINTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may\nconsume.\n  Mr. Speaker, my friend argues that this bill is unnecessary because\naliens who are convicted of fleeing an immigration checkpoint are\nalready removable. That part is correct, but there are no corresponding\ngrounds for inadmissibility.\n  This bill fixes that omission. It also expands the law to someone who\nis deliberately fleeing the Border Patrol not only from a checkpoint\nbut from anywhere within 100 miles of the border.\n  This begs the larger question: If, as the Democrats say, this bill\nsimply restates the existing law, then why are they opposing it?\n  They say you should prove that the alien knows that they are evading\nthe\n\n[[Page H686]]\n\nBorder Patrol when they initiate a high-speed chase through a crowded\nneighborhood. He forgets that there are many, many acts that are\nthemselves deadly and dangerous that we sanction. Drunk driving is such\nan offense. It doesn't matter if you intended to kill somebody when you\ngot behind that wheel drunk. The behavior itself is deadly and\ndangerous and punishable under law.\n  Leading a high-speed chase through a crowded highway is also such an\ninherently dangerous act, which my friends on the other side of the\naisle, for some inexplicable reason, want to excuse.\n  Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr.\nCline).\n  Mr. CLINE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.\n  Mr. Speaker, it is clear that the ranking member of the committee has\nhis talking points today when he wants to complain about a businessman\nhelping the administration to save taxpayer dollars, and he is raising\nhistrionics to a new level by talking about a constitutional crisis.\n  Mr. Speaker, we do have the power of the purse under Article I, but\nArticle II, when given that money, has a responsibility for\nadministering it in a responsible manner. If this administration is\ngoing to grant taxpayer funds for irresponsible purposes, or if the\nlast administration granted money to irresponsible recipients, then\nthis administration should be able to reconsider those grants or stop\nthose grants from occurring and direct the money into a more\nappropriate place.\n  It doesn't surprise me that the gentleman from suburban Washington,\nwho has so many Federal employees in his district, is now worried that\nwe are going to have a number of Federal employees who are going to be\nput out of work.\n  Do you know what, Mr. Speaker? We have too many Federal employees in\nthis country. It is about time that we shrink the size and scope of the\nFederal Government, and I think that even though it results in people\nin suburban Washington unfortunately having to seek employment\nelsewhere, it will save the taxpayers money and improve government\nefficiency for the long term.\n  Mr. Speaker, I rise to support this bill, the Agent Raul Gonzalez\nOfficer Safety Act, because, in recent years, cartels and human\nsmugglers have recruited drivers to transport illegal aliens from the\nsouthwest border further into the United States and many of our\ncommunities.\n  Unsurprisingly, when encountered by law enforcement and Customs and\nBorder Protection officials, these drivers routinely flee, often at\nhigh speeds.\n  Raul Gonzalez was a Border Patrol agent who was killed in 2022 in a\nhigh-speed chase while pursuing a car filled with illegal immigrants in\nTexas. That same year, there were six Border Patrol agents who died on\nthe job.\n  A high-speed chase puts agents, first responders, and innocent\nbystanders in danger. Because these chases happen as often as daily to\nmultiple times a day, they take up the bulk of the U.S. marshals'\nresponses to calls.\n  This bill provides a Federal criminal penalty for individuals who\nintentionally evade Border Patrol agents or law enforcement officers\nassisting Border Patrol and provides for escalating penalties when\nevading law enforcement results in serious bodily injury or death.\n  The consequences of the Biden-Harris administration's open-borders\npolicies are clear. Now, House Republicans, along with President Trump,\ncan ensure the safety of our communities and the security of our\nborders.\n  Mr. Speaker, I support this bill, and I encourage my colleagues to do\nso, as well.\n  Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.\n  Mr. Speaker, yes, we have hundreds of thousands of Federal employees\nwho live in Maryland, and we are very proud of them. I assume the\ndistinguished gentleman from Virginia is proud of the hundreds of\nthousands of Federal employees who live and work in Virginia, including\nin Roanoke. They have constitutional rights just like other American\ncitizens have.\n  None of our rights, whether they are constitutional or in the civil\nservice, should be trashed by an unelected billionaire bureaucrat who\ndoesn't understand our system of government.\n  As to the merits, the distinguished gentleman talks about high-speed\nchases, which is what most statutes talk about in the country. This\nbill--I don't know if the gentleman read the language--doesn't mention\nhigh-speed chases or any speed at all. It just says ``fleeing.'' It is\nthe only statute I could find in the country that doesn't define what\n``fleeing'' means.\n\n  It is a very sloppy bill that has not had a hearing and that was\nbrought to the floor for political entertainment purposes.\n  Mr. Speaker, I yield 6 minutes to the distinguished gentlewoman from\nWashington (Ms. Jayapal), who is the ranking member on the Subcommittee\non Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement.\n  Ms. JAYAPAL. Mr. Speaker, do you remember when candidate Trump said\nthat, on day one, he would end inflation and bring prices down for\nAmerican citizens? That is, in fact, the number one reason he got\nelected.\n  Guess what, Mr. Speaker? He has done nothing on this. Republicans\nhave spent no time on the floor trying to bring down prices for average\nAmericans. In fact, the data that was just released yesterday says that\nprices have shot up because of many of the proposals that Donald Trump\nhas put forward and the chaos he is inflicting on the economy.\n  Are we spending time on that here on the floor? No. We are wasting\ntime on yet another attack on all immigrants, including U.S. citizens.\n  Once again, the majority is moving a bill to expand the Trump\nadministration's mass deportation machine and trample on the core\nAmerican principle of due process.\n  All of these bills that are being put forward utilize a very simple\nformula: first, take laws that are already on the books about deporting\nand making inadmissible to the United States people who are convicted\nof committing certain crimes and fool the American people into thinking\nsomehow that is not already the law; and, second, dangerously expand\nthose laws so that simply being accused of something or admitting to\nsomething that no one would reasonably consider being a crime makes it\nsufficient to now deport someone or make him inadmissible without any\ndue process and without a fair day in court.\n  This is terrorizing communities across the country, and Donald\nTrump's obsession with using every lever of government to target\nimmigrants has undermined our national security and our safety by\nforcing Federal law enforcement officials to abandon fighting drug\ntrafficking or human smuggling and instead focus on arresting,\ndetaining, and deporting immigrants who pose no threat to public\nsafety. Many of them have lived and worked in this country for decades.\n  Already, we have seen the effects on U.S. citizens, with the unlawful\ndetention of U.S. citizens, the targeting of Native Americans, and the\narrest of countless people with no criminal records.\n  ICE agents are treating the act of speaking Spanish as probable cause\nfor interrogation, and they are revoking all the crucial and successful\nlegal pathways put in place by the Biden administration, like parole\nand temporary protected status, including, by the way, for Venezuelans\nand Cubans, who feel Trump's betrayal deeply.\n\n                              {time}  0945\n\n  This bill follows the same divisive, deceptive formula. H.R. 35\namends the Immigration and Nationality Act to create a new ground of\ndeportability and inadmissibility for any noncitizen who admits fleeing\nfrom Border Patrol while operating a motor vehicle, whether or not they\nknew it was Border Patrol that they were fleeing from.\n  Mr. Speaker, let's be clear. Just as I said with the formula, being\nconvicted of fleeing from Border Patrol or any law enforcement already\nmakes a person deportable and inadmissible. That is current law. The\nkey word here is ``convicted.''\n  Remember that when we talk about deportability, we are also talking\nabout people who are in the United States lawfully. Many are green card\nholders and have lived in the United States for decades. If we are\ngoing to deport them, I hope that we would all agree that they should\nhave basic due process rights and a day in court, just like any\nAmerican would want for themselves.\n\n[[Page H687]]\n\n  That is why conviction is required for deportation. Convictions also\nmean that law enforcement can focus on the most serious criminals, not\nthose who are simply accused and may well be innocent.\n  Let me also debunk the Republican argument that admitting to fleeing\nis the same as a conviction. That is simply not true. People may admit\nto fleeing without even knowing that the person chasing them is Border\nPatrol.\n  Let me give an example. Let's say that a woman is driving alone on a\ndeserted road at night. She hears a siren. She sees an unmarked car\nbehind her signaling that she should pull over. She had heard many\nstories about the men who prey on solo female drivers by pretending to\nbe law enforcement, so she slows down and puts on her hazards. She even\ncalls 911 to confirm that they have an officer in the area.\n  They confirm that one of their officers, who is deputized by CBP, is\nin the area, so she pulls over. When the officer comes up to her\nwindow, she says: I am sorry, Officer. I needed to keep driving while I\nconfirmed that you were with law enforcement since you were in an\nunmarked car.\n  That constitutes an admission that she was intentionally fleeing from\nlaw enforcement. Under this bill, even if she is a lawful permanent\nresident who has been in this country for 10 years or 20 years, she has\njust rendered herself deportable. A conviction requirement importantly\nensures that people have due process and that that essential context\nisn't missed.\n  Just last week, The Washington Post reported an uptick in people who\nare impersonating immigration enforcement officers to harass and attack\npeople they suspect of being undocumented. One North Carolina man\nshowed a woman a fake badge and told her that he would deport her if\nshe didn't come to a motel and have sex with him.\n  He ended up being arrested and charged with impersonating law\nenforcement, kidnapping, second-degree forcible rape, and assault. In\nthis environment, it is not surprising that people keep driving away\nwhen unmarked cars tell them to pull over, claiming to work with Border\nPatrol.\n  U.S. citizens should also be aware of the fact that the new criminal\npenalties in this bill would subject U.S. citizens to draconian\nmandatory minimums for something as minor as failing to immediately\nstop when hailed by an unmarked police car.\n  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentlewoman has expired.\n  Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 20 seconds to the\ngentlewoman from Washington.\n  Ms. JAYAPAL. Mr. Speaker, this bill applies to anyone within 100\nmiles of the border. That is two-thirds of the population of the United\nStates, cities like Jacksonville; Charleston; Green Bay, Wisconsin;\nGrand Forks, North Dakota; and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.\n  Fear is already pervasive. People are afraid to go to work and\nschool. Businesses are hurting. Local economies and communities and\nStates, from Nebraska to Ohio to Texas, are hurting.\n  Mr. Speaker, this bill plays on fear. It is cruel. It is unnecessary.\nIt is dangerous for all Americans' due process rights. I urge my\ncolleagues to vote ``no.''\n  Mr. McCLINTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I wonder if the Democrats even listen to\nthemselves. The gentlewoman just told us that this bill is simply\nduplicative of existing law and, therefore, a farce. A moment later,\nthe gentlewoman told us that it is a dangerous expansion of existing\nlaw. I ask them to pick at least one side or the other and stick to it.\n  Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr.\nGuest).\n  Mr. GUEST. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 35,\nlegislation named after Agent Raul Gonzalez, a 38-year-old father of\ntwo, who lost his life in an ATV accident on December 7, 2022, as he\nwas attempting to apprehend a group of immigrants who had entered the\ncountry illegally.\n  This legislation not only honors the sacrifice of Agent Gonzalez, but\nit reinforces Republican support to secure our border.\n  This legislation helps fulfill the promise that President Trump made\nto the American people to protect those who protect each of us. This\nlegislation will protect American communities by imposing criminal\npenalties on people who evade U.S. Border Patrol agents or other law\nenforcement agents at our border.\n  This legislation will also help protect the brave men and women who\nenforce our border, those who risk their lives for the mission of\nkeeping us safe and providing a secure border for all Americans.\n  Mr. Speaker, I am proud to work alongside President Trump to make our\ncountry safe for all American citizens. I am proud to support this\nlegislation, and I urge my colleagues to please vote ``yes'' on H.R.\n35.\n  Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.\n  Mr. Speaker, just in answer to a couple of the recent comments that\nthe good gentleman, the floor manager, says: How could it be possible\nthat this bill is both duplicative and wildly expansive?\n\n  Mr. Speaker, it is duplicative of the actual criminal offense. That\nalready exists. It is already a crime for somebody at the border to\nflee in a high-speed chase away from an officer. That is already a\ncrime.\n  What is expansive is this applies to citizens. It goes way beyond the\nborder. It goes all over the country. It doesn't define what it means\nto flee. It doesn't require a high-speed chase.\n  As the gentlewoman from Washington (Ms. Jayapal) was saying, it can\napply to a woman who hears on the news, the way I heard last night,\nthat there is a maniac out there claiming to be an ICE agent who is\nattacking women. She hears about it, and then a plainclothes officer in\nan unmarked car begins to chase her. If she moves away and stops three\nor four blocks later, she is guilty of violating their sloppily drafted\nbill.\n  If Republicans are serious about it, we should go back and have a\nreal hearing, and the majority should look at what States across the\ncountry are doing.\n  Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Oregon (Ms.\nBynum).\n  Ms. BYNUM. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to oppose H.R. 35.\n  Let's call this bill what it is: fear-mongering dressed up as officer\nsafety.\n  This bill echoes one of the darkest chapters in our Nation's history,\nthe Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. Just like that shameful law, H.R. 35\nforces local authorities and encourages the deputizing of randos to do\nthe Federal Government's work, punishing them if they refuse.\n  Back then, it was hunting down people who dared to seek freedom.\nToday, it is forcing local police to become Federal enforcers, which is\na violation of States' rights.\n  This bill is duplicative of existing law. It threatens members of our\ncommunity who are here legally and lacks the surgical precision needed\nfor solid immigration policy. We need to start focusing on real\nsolutions for the border.\n  I support law enforcement. I support public safety, but I oppose the\nFederal Government overreach that erodes local control and threatens\ncivil rights.\n  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to continue seeking comprehensive\nimmigration policy reform and to vote ``no'' on H.R. 35.\n  Mr. McCLINTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman\nfrom Texas (Ms. De La Cruz).\n  Ms. De La CRUZ. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.\n  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 35, the Agent Raul\nGonzalez Officer Safety Act, which I am proud to have co-led with\nCongressman Ciscomani.\n  Agent Raul Gonzalez was stationed in my community of McAllen, Texas,\nand was dedicated to protecting the Rio Grande Valley and, quite\nfrankly, all of the Nation. In 2022, he tragically lost his life while\npursuing a car full of illegal immigrants.\n  By passing this legislation, we can take critical steps to protect\nthe safety of law enforcement officers and prevent this tragedy from\never happening again.\n  This bill will make failing to yield to Border Patrol agents or law\nenforcement a Federal crime. Further, if anyone is killed during the\napprehension, it could result in life in prison.\n  Criminals will think twice before engaging in dangerous and reckless\nbehavior like a high-speed chase from Border Patrol agents.\n\n[[Page H688]]\n\n  Law enforcement officers put their lives on the line every day to\nprotect our communities. I am committed to protecting those who protect\nus, and I urge my colleagues to support this bill in honor of the life\nand service of a Texas hero, Agent Raul Gonzalez.\n  Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from\nMichigan (Ms. Tlaib).\n  Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Speaker, here we go again. We are voting on yet\nanother bill that just promotes racial profiling.\n  That is exactly what is happening because Americans right now who are\nBrown or Black or have an accent and who are American citizens are\ncarrying passports with them. Why? It is because we are going to allow\nthe targeting of communities that look like my district, to police them\nand to militarize them.\n  This bill strips away the right to due process. We already know that.\nI think that many of my colleagues who are supporting this know that.\n  This is going to target even legal permanent residents. The majority\nis going to separate families instantly without ever allowing anyone to\nbe able to go to trial or even have a conviction. It is absolutely and\nclearly unconstitutional.\n  Everyone in our country has rights, and I want my residents to hear\nme say this again: Everyone has rights, no matter their status, in the\nUnited States of America.\n  This is what Republicans want. My colleagues on the other side of the\naisle want to make racial profiling the law of the land and make\ndiscrimination the law of the land. That is what my Republican\ncolleagues want. Republican Members want to go back to that kind of\nmilitarization and policing of targeting people who look like my mother\nand who look like my neighbors in the 12th Congressional District.\n  Mr. Speaker, I will be very clear, though. What my colleagues don't\nget, and I want my residents to hear me when I say this, is that no\nPresident--none--has the power to end constitutional rights, the right\nto due process; not one.\n  Mr. Speaker, this is not about fixing our immigration system. The\ndollars and the people who support measures like this and the fear-\nmongering want a broken immigration system because, as the ranking\nmember probably knows, they make money off of our broken immigration\nsystem.\n  If my colleagues really wanted to address it, let's get to the core\nissues of the fact of who is benefiting the most from not allowing our\nfamilies and our loved ones who have been here for decades and years to\nbe able to have a pathway to citizenship. It is because someone\nbenefits from it, and it is unfortunate.\n\n  Mr. Speaker, Democrats will have the backs of our immigrant neighbors\nand even our American citizens who feel like they are being targeted by\nthis law.\n  Mr. McCLINTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I assure the gentlewoman that the\ninnocent victims of these high-speed chases come from all races and all\nbackgrounds.\n  Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Missouri (Mr.\nOnder).\n  Mr. ONDER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 35,\nthe Agent Raul Gonzalez Officer Safety Act.\n  This important legislation would make it a crime to evade arrest or\ndetention while operating a motor vehicle within 100 miles of the U.S.\nborder. For aliens, the bill would go a step further, making it a\ndeportable offense to flee from a pursuing Border Patrol agent.\n  Our southern border is under attack, and our Border Patrol agents are\non the front lines. The former administration depleted Border Patrol\nresources, leaving them with an impossible task that routinely puts\nthem in harm's way.\n  The Border Patrol experienced over 5,700 encounters every day in\nDecember 2022, the month that Agent Raul Gonzalez was killed while\npursuing an illegal alien who was evading arrest.\n  The following year, the Biden administration doubled down on its\nopen-border policies, surging these encounters to 2.5 million in 2023.\n  Under President Biden's so-called leadership, border wall materials\nwere sold off, and razor wire was removed.\n  Under President Trump's leadership, we are taking full advantage of\nour resources to secure the border, and Mexico and Canada have already\nagreed to bolster enforcement.\n  The Trump policies are already working. Yesterday, The Washington\nTimes reported what they called a reverse flow of illegal immigrants\nstreaming back home after being blocked at Trump's border.\n\n                              {time}  1000\n\n  When migrants learn of the new, enhanced security measures at the\nsouthern border, they are giving up and going home. Border Patrol\nagents who previously encountered as many as 10,000 illegal immigrants\nin a day are seeing fewer than 500.\n  By passing this legislation, we are showing Border Patrol agents that\nwe have their backs and that we prioritize their safety. This bill\nprovides additional protections for Border Patrol agents by imposing\nharsher penalties for illegal aliens evading arrest at our border.\n  Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.\n  Mr. McCLINTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from\nOhio (Mr. Jordan), chairman of the House Judiciary Committee.\n  Mr. JORDAN. Mr. Speaker, Democrats have been saying for 2 weeks now,\ninstead of stopping the stupid spending, they attack the guy who is\nexposing the stupid spending. I think we should maybe get rid of the\nstupid spending.\n  Trans comic opera in Ireland, Sesame Street on Iraqi television, I\nthink maybe we should focus on that. No. No. No. We can't do that.\n  I think this just underscores the fundamental difference between the\nleft and those of us in the Republican Party, those of us who are\nconservatives.\n  The left thinks the bureaucrats are smarter than we the people. You\nhave to trust the bureaucracy. You have to trust the experts in the\ngovernment. I would rather trust the people, the 77 million people who\nelected President Trump who told us he was systematically going to go\nthrough these agencies and identify dumb things where taxpayer money is\ngoing to. He told us he was going to do it. The American people\nunderstood it. He got elected, and now he is carrying out that mission.\nNow they are attacking the guy who President Trump has put in charge of\nthis effort.\n  The bureaucrats who decided Big Bird and Bert and Ernie on Baghdad TV\nwas a good use of taxpayer money, can't question them. We can't do\nthat. We can't question the people in the bureaucracy. We can't\nquestion the 108,000 people who work at the Department of the Treasury.\nNo. No. No. They are smarter than the folks President Trump has asked\nto come in and look at where our tax money is going.\n  Think about this, the smartest bureaucrat in the history of the\nworld, Dr. Fauci, the things he told us. We weren't allowed to question\nhim for 2 years, and he ran our lives.\n  Here is the irony: Everything he told us turned out to be false. He\ntold us the virus didn't come from a lab. Yes, it did. We have agencies\nnow that tell us that and confirm that. He told us the vaccinated\ncouldn't get it. He told us the vaccinated couldn't transmit it. He was\nwrong on both those counts. He told us that masks work. He told us 6\nfeet social distancing was based on science, but they just made it up.\n  Here is the kicker: He told us this is the first virus in history\nwhere there was no such thing as natural immunity. We can't question\nhim. We have to trust the bureaucracy. I prefer to trust the people.\n  By the way, remember when they tried to set up a bureaucracy in the\ngovernment that was going to tell us what we were allowed to say? They\nactually tried to set up the Disinformation Governance Board as if a\nbunch of Federal bureaucrats can tell us what we can say, what we can't\nsay, what is information, and what is disinformation. You have to be\nkidding me.\n  I will trust the guy who was elected by 77 million Americans. I will\ntrust the Constitution that says: The executive power shall be vested\nin a President of the United States.\n  Do you know why they did that in the Constitution? Because that is\nthe guy who puts his name on a ballot and has to get votes, not the\nbureaucracy.\n\n[[Page H689]]\n\nIt is not the thousands and thousands of people who think they are so\nmuch smarter than us regular folks who just get to vote.\n  I trust the guy who was elected and the people he has put in charge\nof this effort. He told us he was going to do it. The American people\nelected him to do it. Maybe we should focus on stopping the stupid\nspending. After all, we have a $36 trillion debt.\n  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.\n  Mr. McCLINTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 1 minute to the\ngentleman from Ohio.\n  Mr. JORDAN. Finally, I will just say this: It is a good bill by a\ngood Member of our Congress, Mr. Ciscomani. We passed it last year. We\nshould pass it again.\n  Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.\n  Mr. McCLINTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from\nArizona (Mr. Ciscomani), the author of this measure.\n  Mr. CISCOMANI. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. McClintock for yielding me\ntime here to talk about this bill.\n  Mr. Speaker, I am proud to rise in support of my legislation, H.R.\n35, the Agent Raul Gonzalez Officer Safety Act.\n  We have heard talk on both sides of the aisle on the floor on this\nbill on the merits of it, and I am very proud to be supporting this and\nto actually share a little bit of the story of how we came about this\nbill.\n  One of my first official meetings that I had after being elected in\n'22 was to go back to one of my border counties in Cochise. This\nmeeting happened in early '23.\n  I asked them, if there is one bill that I could start on immediately,\nwhat would it be? This meeting included law enforcement, local law\nenforcement from the State, from the county, Border Patrol, and\nstakeholders. The unanimous vote and feedback was to make sure that\nsomething like what happened to Agent Raul Gonzalez never happened\nagain. The issue we homed in on dealt with the issue of high-speed\nchases and the inability of law enforcement to be able to pull over and\npunish those that are fleeing law enforcement and their failure to\nyield not being a Federal crime. This was it.\n  To all those on the other side of the aisle here who criticize this\nbill as saying that it is anti-fill in the blank, this came from the\nsame people that my friends on the other side claim that this is\nagainst. This is a bill that came from the feedback of those that are\nhighly impacted by this in our border communities.\n  It is not only law enforcement that is suffering and actually being\nrisked in this kind of activity, it is innocent bystanders that are\nhurt by these high-speed chases that are literally dying in border\ncommunities and being killed by these pursuits.\n  The bill is simple: It makes evading law enforcement within 100 miles\nof the border a Federal crime. To me, it is simply common sense that\nthis should be a Federal crime. Far too many lives have been\njeopardized and even tragically taken, like I said, at the hands of bad\nactors who engage in these high-speed chases.\n  If you evade CBP or local law enforcement, you clearly don't have\ngood intentions. That is obvious. Unfortunately, the current law does\nnot make this a crime in and of itself. It leaves the burden of\nprosecuting these individuals to our local border communities, as if\nthey don't have enough challenges already with what the previous\nadministration caused at the border.\n  Not only is this bill common sense, it is crucial and in some cases,\neven lifesaving.\n  To quote one of my constituents, he said: At least once a week there\nis a high-speed chase through town that includes a 15-mile-an-hour\nschool zone. Do residents need to die to get the attention needed to\ncorrect the border problem?\n  The sad truth is that some have died, both law enforcement and\ninnocent civilians. Law enforcement wants this bill, Mr. Speaker.\nMayors in my border districts want this bill. My constituents want this\nbill, but every opposition that I have heard from my friends on the\nother side is coming from the same people that stood by as the previous\nadministration and the White House caused this border crisis. Forgive\nme if I am not moved by those arguments. I am moved by the feedback\nfrom those that are on the front lines of this border crisis.\n  I consistently hear about the detrimental impact that high-speed\nchases have in southeastern Arizona and across the southern border,\nspecifically in the county that I mentioned earlier, Cochise County.\n  This criminal activity is not just reserved to drug cartels or\nillegal immigrants or smugglers themselves. These cartels are targeting\nAmerican citizens to be those drivers. In most cases, those drivers\nhappen to be American citizens, as well.\n  Yes, this legislation goes beyond just the illegal immigrants that\nare driving. It goes to punish also U.S. citizens that are engaging in\nthis activity. Anyone endangering American lives should be held to\naccount.\n  This bill is about supporting our law enforcement communities who\ndeal with this crisis on a daily basis to stop the smuggling and\ntrafficking.\n  In calendar year 2022 and 2023, Cochise County reports booking 2,884\nindividuals for border-related crimes, costing over $9.4 million to\nthat local community. This is in one county, in one State. I have seen\nthe toll it takes firsthand in our communities.\n  We should be asking ourselves why these people are fleeing law\nenforcement. The answer is: These are bad actors who the cartels want\nto evade law enforcement.\n  Finally, I will highlight the hero that this bill is named after.\n  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.\n  Mr. McCLINTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 1 minute to the\ngentleman from Arizona.\n  Mr. CISCOMANI. Agent Raul Gonzalez was killed in 2022 while pursuing\nillegal immigrants in Texas. His death underscores the tragic truth\nthat our Customs and Border Protection agents and officers risk their\nlives every day to protect our community.\n  By passing this legislation, we are showing them that we have their\nbacks. That is why this bill is supported by law enforcement groups\nlike the National Border Patrol Council and the National Sheriffs'\nAssociation and many local law enforcement groups in Arizona, as well.\n  This bill passed last Congress with bipartisan support. I hope and\nencourage my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this\nbill, prioritize border security, and make our border communities\nsafer.\n  Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.\n  Mr. Speaker, the distinguished chairman of the Judiciary Committee\n(Mr. Jordan) invites us to believe that we should just suspend our own\ninterests in legislative power. We should no longer defend the laws we\nhave passed, the programs we have adopted, the money we have\nappropriated but that we should turn it over to the new fourth branch\nof government, Elon Musk, who can do whatever he wants.\n  Then he wants to also delegate to Mr. Musk our oversight power. We\nhave an entire committee chaired by Mr. Comer. We have our own\nsubcommittee on Oversight in the Judiciary Committee, but do they want\nto have hearings on Big Bird and Ernie and all of the alleged waste,\nfraud, and abuse that Mr. Musk is finding with his untutored, unvetted,\njuvenile computer hacker crew?\n  Come on. Let's show some institutional self-respect. This is the\nCongress of the United States. We are not delegating our power to Elon\nMusk or anybody else.\n  Mr. Speaker, many of our great heroes have understood that sloppy\nlegislation undertaken as part of an attempt to whip up anti-\nimmigration hysteria comes to haunt not just the immigrant community,\nof course, but citizens, too.\n  This bill is a great example of that because I don't know if they\nmeant to write it this way, but it applies to citizens. It doesn't\nrequire mens rea, so call the Heritage Foundation about that. They are\nopposed to bills like this that don't require you prove that people\nhave a specific intent to violate the law and commit a criminal\noffense. It doesn't define what fleeing even means. It doesn't require\na high-speed chase, which is what they keep talking about. That is\nalready against the law in lots of places.\n\n[[Page H690]]\n\n  It is a sloppy bill that is going to come back and haunt us if it\nwere ever to become law, which it won't.\n  Thomas Jefferson said during the 1798 Alien and Sedition Acts where\npeople were trying to whip up hysteria--\n  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.\n  Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.\n  Mr. McCLINTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.\n  Mr. Speaker, I first am tempted to address my friend's obsession with\nElon Musk. The situation is pretty simple: A new boss takes over and he\nbrings in an auditor. The auditor calls in the Democrats and says, I\nwould like to see your expense account receipts, and the Democrats go\nabsolutely berserk.\n  Now, what does that tell you about what has been going on with our\nmoney all this time?\n  My experience has been that the most closely guarded secrets of\ngovernment are not those that are marked ``top secret,'' they are the\nsecrets that are embarrassing.\n  Elon Musk is embarrassing the Democrats, which is why they have\nunleashed this torrent of invective, vitriol, and character\nassassination upon him, and why they have spent so much time today\nobsessing on Elon Musk rather than the bill before us to protect the\nvictims of illegal immigration that they themselves unleashed upon our\ncountry.\n  Mr. Speaker, Scott Jennings of CNN recently wondered aloud: What\npossesses the Democrats to constantly take the 20 percent side of every\nmajor issue, whether it is waste in government, men competing in girls'\nsports, crime and homelessness, or, in this case, border security? They\nseem instinctively to reject a commonsense position expressed by 80\npercent or more of the electorate and double down on the 20 percent or\nless position taken only by the lunatic fringe of the radical left, and\nthey are doing that again today.\n\n                              {time}  1015\n\n  High-speed chases due to human and drug smuggling at the border have\nclaimed the lives of far too many Americans, including a Border Patrol\nagent who was simply trying to protect his local community. This bill,\nnamed in his memory, makes it a Federal crime to evade the Border\nPatrol or local law enforcement acting in support of the Border Patrol\nwithin 100 miles of the international border.\n  If you are a foreign national, it makes a conviction or admission of\nsuch a crime grounds for inadmissibility and removability. If you\nendanger our local law enforcement officers or innocent bystanders by\ninitiating a high-speed chase, we will throw you in prison for a long\ntime. Then, we will send you packing when you get out.\n  I suspect this bill has the support of well over 80 percent of the\nAmerican people, yet once again, the Democrats oppose it. I suspect\nmost will vote against it, as they did last year.\n  The American people have seen this unfold in this Chamber time and\ntime again. They clearly understand what is at stake, and they well\nunderstand the implications to the sovereignty of our country and to\nthe safety of our communities. Last November, they gave us the votes to\npass this legislation, and they gave us a President who will sign it.\nLet's get on with it.\n  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.\n  Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition H.R. 35. This bill is\na solution that has already been addressed in law. Right now, the House\nof Representatives has important work to do. The deadline to fund the\ngovernment is only one month away, and the price of eggs is\nskyrocketing under President Trump. But instead of addressing these\nproblems, Republicans put forward the same messaging bill we voted on\nlast Congress.\n  To be clear, fleeing the border patrol already carries criminal and\nlegal penalties under current law, and a conviction for fleeing border\npatrol already makes a person deportable. This bill is poorly written\nand politicizes a tragedy. It does nothing to make our border more\nsecure or fix our broken immigration system. Republicans continue to\ndemonstrate they are not willing to work toward real solutions to bring\norder to the border and fix our immigration system.\n  This is another bill in a series of Republican slippery-slope\nimmigration bills that erodes the rights of everyone present in the\nUnited States, including green card holders, students, temporary\nworkers, DACA recipients, and even citizens. It attacks due process\nunder the United States Constitution and targets immigrants who are\nlawfully in the United States. In H.R. 35, there is no requirement that\na noncitizen actually be charged by law enforcement, making a person\ndeportable without even being convicted of a crime. Our Constitution\nholds that in the United States, you are innocent until you are proven\nguilty. This bill undermines that basic principle.\n  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Simpson). All time for debate has\nexpired.\n  Pursuant to House Resolution 5, the previous question is ordered on\nthe bill.\n  The question is on the engrossment and third reading of the bill.\n  The bill was ordered to be engrossed and read a third time, and was\nread the third time.\n  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on passage of the bill.\n  The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that\nthe ayes appeared to have it.\n  Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.\n  The yeas and nays were ordered.\n  The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--yeas 264,\nnays 155, not voting 14, as follows:\n\n                             [Roll No. 42]\n\n                               YEAS--264\n\n     Aderholt\n     Alford\n     Allen\n     Amodei (NV)\n     Arrington\n     Babin\n     Bacon\n     Baird\n     Balderson\n     Barr\n     Barrett\n     Baumgartner\n     Bean (FL)\n     Begich\n     Bentz\n     Bergman\n     Bice\n     Biggs (AZ)\n     Biggs (SC)\n     Bilirakis\n     Bishop\n     Boebert\n     Bost\n     Brecheen\n     Bresnahan\n     Buchanan\n     Budzinski\n     Burchett\n     Burlison\n     Calvert\n     Cammack\n     Carey\n     Carter (GA)\n     Carter (TX)\n     Case\n     Ciscomani\n     Cline\n     Cloud\n     Clyde\n     Cole\n     Collins\n     Comer\n     Costa\n     Courtney\n     Craig\n     Crane\n     Crank\n     Crawford\n     Crenshaw\n     Cuellar\n     Davids (KS)\n     Davidson\n     Davis (NC)\n     De La Cruz\n     DeLauro\n     Deluzio\n     DesJarlais\n     Diaz-Balart\n     Downing\n     Dunn (FL)\n     Edwards\n     Ellzey\n     Emmer\n     Estes\n     Evans (CO)\n     Ezell\n     Fallon\n     Fedorchak\n     Feenstra\n     Finstad\n     Fischbach\n     Fitzgerald\n     Fitzpatrick\n     Fleischmann\n     Flood\n     Fong\n     Foxx\n     Franklin, Scott\n     Fry\n     Fulcher\n     Garbarino\n     Gill (TX)\n     Gillen\n     Gimenez\n     Golden (ME)\n     Goldman (TX)\n     Gonzales, Tony\n     Gooden\n     Goodlander\n     Gosar\n     Gottheimer\n     Graves\n     Gray\n     Green (TN)\n     Greene (GA)\n     Griffith\n     Grothman\n     Guest\n     Guthrie\n     Hageman\n     Hamadeh (AZ)\n     Harder (CA)\n     Haridopolos\n     Harrigan\n     Harris (MD)\n     Harris (NC)\n     Harshbarger\n     Hern (OK)\n     Higgins (LA)\n     Hill (AR)\n     Hinson\n     Houchin\n     Houlahan\n     Hoyle (OR)\n     Hudson\n     Huizenga\n     Hurd (CO)\n     Issa\n     Jack\n     Jackson (TX)\n     James\n     Johnson (LA)\n     Johnson (SD)\n     Jordan\n     Joyce (OH)\n     Joyce (PA)\n     Kaptur\n     Kean\n     Keating\n     Kelly (MS)\n     Kennedy (NY)\n     Kennedy (UT)\n     Kiggans (VA)\n     Kiley (CA)\n     Kim\n     Knott\n     Kustoff\n     LaHood\n     LaLota\n     LaMalfa\n     Landsman\n     Langworthy\n     Latta\n     Lawler\n     Lee (FL)\n     Lee (NV)\n     Letlow\n     Loudermilk\n     Lucas\n     Luna\n     Luttrell\n     Lynch\n     Mace\n     Mackenzie\n     Magaziner\n     Malliotakis\n     Maloy\n     Mann\n     Mannion\n     Massie\n     Mast\n     McCaul\n     McClain\n     McClain Delaney\n     McClintock\n     McCormick\n     McDonald Rivet\n     McDowell\n     McGuire\n     Messmer\n     Meuser\n     Miller (IL)\n     Miller (OH)\n     Miller (WV)\n     Miller-Meeks\n     Min\n     Moolenaar\n     Moore (AL)\n     Moore (NC)\n     Moore (UT)\n     Moore (WV)\n     Moran\n     Morelle\n     Moskowitz\n     Mrvan\n     Murphy\n     Nehls\n     Newhouse\n     Norman\n     Nunn (IA)\n     Obernolte\n     Ogles\n     Onder\n     Owens\n     Palmer\n     Panetta\n     Pappas\n     Perez\n     Perry\n     Pfluger\n     Reschenthaler\n     Riley (NY)\n     Rogers (AL)\n     Rogers (KY)\n     Rose\n     Rouzer\n     Roy\n     Rulli\n     Rutherford\n     Ryan\n     Salazar\n     Salinas\n     Scalise\n     Schmidt\n     Scholten\n     Schrier\n     Schweikert\n     Scott, Austin\n     Self\n     Sessions\n     Shreve\n     Simpson\n     Smith (MO)\n     Smith (NE)\n     Smith (NJ)\n     Smucker\n     Sorensen\n     Spartz\n     Stanton\n     Stauber\n     Stefanik\n     Steil\n     Steube\n     Strong\n     Stutzman\n     Suozzi\n     Sykes\n     Taylor\n     Tenney\n     Thompson (PA)\n     Tiffany\n     Timmons\n     Titus\n     Turner (OH)\n     Valadao\n     Van Drew\n     Van Duyne\n     Van Orden\n     Vasquez\n     Veasey\n     Vindman\n     Wagner\n     Walberg\n     Weber (TX)\n     Webster (FL)\n     Westerman\n     Whitesides\n     Wied\n     Williams (TX)\n     Wilson (SC)\n     Wittman\n     Womack\n     Yakym\n     Zinke\n\n                               NAYS--155\n\n     Adams\n     Aguilar\n     Amo\n     Ansari\n     Auchincloss\n     Balint\n     Barragan\n     Beatty\n     Bell\n     Bera\n     Beyer\n     Bonamici\n     Boyle (PA)\n     Brown\n     Brownley\n     Bynum\n     Carbajal\n     Carson\n     Carter (LA)\n     Casar\n     Casten\n     Castor (FL)\n     Castro (TX)\n     Cherfilus-McCormick\n     Chu\n     Cisneros\n     Clark (MA)\n     Clarke (NY)\n     Cleaver\n     Clyburn\n     Cohen\n     Conaway\n     Connolly\n     Correa\n\n[[Page H691]]\n\n     Crockett\n     Crow\n     Davis (IL)\n     Dean (PA)\n     DeGette\n     DelBene\n     DeSaulnier\n     Dexter\n     Dingell\n     Doggett\n     Elfreth\n     Escobar\n     Espaillat\n     Evans (PA)\n     Fields\n     Figures\n     Fletcher\n     Foster\n     Foushee\n     Frankel, Lois\n     Friedman\n     Frost\n     Garamendi\n     Garcia (CA)\n     Garcia (IL)\n     Garcia (TX)\n     Goldman (NY)\n     Gonzalez, V.\n     Green, Al (TX)\n     Hayes\n     Horsford\n     Hoyer\n     Huffman\n     Ivey\n     Jackson (IL)\n     Jacobs\n     Jayapal\n     Jeffries\n     Johnson (GA)\n     Johnson (TX)\n     Kamlager-Dove\n     Kelly (IL)\n     Khanna\n     Krishnamoorthi\n     Larsen (WA)\n     Larson (CT)\n     Latimer\n     Lee (PA)\n     Levin\n     Liccardo\n     Lieu\n     Lofgren\n     Matsui\n     McBath\n     McBride\n     McClellan\n     McCollum\n     McGarvey\n     McGovern\n     McIver\n     Meeks\n     Menendez\n     Meng\n     Mfume\n     Moore (WI)\n     Morrison\n     Moulton\n     Nadler\n     Neal\n     Neguse\n     Norcross\n     Ocasio-Cortez\n     Olszewski\n     Omar\n     Pallone\n     Peters\n     Pingree\n     Pocan\n     Pou\n     Pressley\n     Quigley\n     Ramirez\n     Randall\n     Raskin\n     Rivas\n     Ross\n     Ruiz\n     Sanchez\n     Scanlon\n     Schakowsky\n     Schneider\n     Scott (VA)\n     Sewell\n     Sherman\n     Simon\n     Smith (WA)\n     Soto\n     Stansbury\n     Stevens\n     Strickland\n     Subramanyam\n     Swalwell\n     Takano\n     Thanedar\n     Thompson (CA)\n     Thompson (MS)\n     Tlaib\n     Tokuda\n     Tonko\n     Torres (CA)\n     Torres (NY)\n     Trahan\n     Tran\n     Turner (TX)\n     Underwood\n     Vargas\n     Velazquez\n     Wasserman Schultz\n     Waters\n     Watson Coleman\n     Williams (GA)\n\n                             NOT VOTING--14\n\n     Donalds\n     Gomez\n     Grijalva\n     Himes\n     Hunt\n     Kelly (PA)\n     Leger Fernandez\n     Mills\n     Mullin\n     Pelosi\n     Pettersen\n     Scott, David\n     Sherrill\n     Wilson (FL)\n\n                              {time}  1045\n\n  Mses. McCLELLAN and JOHNSON of Texas changed their vote from ``yea''\nto ``nay.''\n  Mr. VEASEY changed his vote from ``nay'' to ``yea.''\n  So the bill was passed.\n  The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.\n  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.\n  Stated against:\n  Ms. PETTERSEN. Mr. Speaker, I recently gave birth and am unable to\ntravel to D.C. to vote. Had I been present, I would have voted NAY on\nRoll Call No. 42.\n\n                          ____________________"]], "columns": ["granule_id", "date", "congress", "session", "volume", "issue", "title", "chamber", "granule_class", "sub_granule_class", "page_start", "page_end", "speakers", "bills", "citation", "full_text"], "primary_keys": ["granule_id"], "primary_key_values": ["CREC-2025-02-13-pt1-PgH682-7"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.7342530880123377, "source": "Federal Register API & Regulations.gov API", "source_url": "https://www.federalregister.gov/developers/api/v1", "license": "Public Domain (U.S. Government data)", "license_url": "https://www.regulations.gov/faq"}