On February 13th, US Senator Ted Cruz, who represents the state of Texas and serves as a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, introduced the Agent Raul Gonzalez Officer Safety Act. The bill aims to make it a crime to flee from immigration enforcement agents and local law enforcement officers in the performance of their duties.

The bill is named in honour of Border Patrol agent Raul Gonzalez, Jr., who died in the line of duty pursuing illegal migrants in Texas in 2023. As such, the bill seeks to ensure that undocumented immigrants who endanger law enforcement officers are held accountable.

This Cruz border security amendment is cosponsored by senators Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Tim Sheehy of Montana, Kevin Cramer of North Dakota, Katie Britt of Alaska, Ted Budd of North Carolina, Jim Justice of West Virginia and Cindy Hyde-Smith of Missouri.

Agent Raul Gonzalez Officer Safety (Proposed) Act

Senator Cruz’s border security proposal was previously introduced in 2023. In December 2022, Agent Raul Gonzalez Jr. died in the line of duty after serving the country for more than a decade when his ATV crashed during a hot pursuit with “illegal aliens” who were fleeing capture.

If assented into law, the proposed Agent Raul Gonzalez Officer Safety Act would prohibit those who flee capture by border patrol from ever receiving legal immigration status in the US. Additionally, the bill proposes that anyone who flees border patrol or local law enforcement supporting border patrol would be subject to two years in prison.

If anyone is injured during a hot pursuit with migrants evading capture, the defendant would face five to 20 years in prison. In the unfortunate event that someone dies during a pursuit, the defendant would face up to life in prison.

Meanwhile, the Agent Raul Gonzalez Officer Safety Act requires the Department of Justice (DOJ) to report to Congress about progress on ongoing prosecutions of those who violate the proposed Act.

Senator Cruz said the following upon introducing the bill: “This legislation honours the sacrifice of Agent Raul Gonzalez, Jr., who lost his life pursuing individuals evading capture. It sends a clear message that if you endanger American lives, you will face serious consequences. This bill is a critical step toward protecting our communities and ensuring criminals can no longer exploit past failures.”

The National Border Patrol Council, a body that represents Border Patrol agents, has endorsed the proposed Act.

Continuing Resolution Amendment of 2023

In September 2023, Cruz introduced an amendment to add the Secure the Border Act to the continuing resolutions. The Secure the Border Act enacts solutions to the southern border crisis by:

Increasing the number of Border Patrol agents;
Requiring the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to resume border wall construction;
Narrowing DHS’s power to grant parole to illegal migrants;
Tightening asylum standards;
Stopping NGOs from using US taxpayers’ money to transport and lodge undocumented immigrants and provide them with lawyers;
Criminalising visa overstays with a $1,000 fine for the first offence and a $2,000 fine, and up to two years in prison, for a second offence;
Requiring employers to use E-Verify;
Restricting DHS from using the CBP One app to welcome “illegal aliens” to the US; and
Ensuring CBP has access to criminal history databases of all countries of origin.

Senator Cruz blamed Biden’s administration for dereliction of duty on the US-Mexico border, saying the crisis is killing Americans across the country due to the unfettered flow of fentanyl and other drugs through the border. He termed the southern border crisis as an unprecedented national security, humanitarian and health crisis that needed to be addressed with urgency.

Comprehensive Border Security Amendment to the National Security Supplemental (2023)

Later, in December 2023, Senator Cruz introduced an amendment to the National Security Supplemental to secure the southern border of the US. The amendment was based on the Secure the Border Act. It would provide manpower assistance to ICE enforcement and Border Patrol operations, technological and physical border improvements, as well as protection to unaccompanied children and families seeking entry.

This congressional amendment also sought to reform immigration paroles, asylum and immigration workforce issues, punish visa overstays and prevent uncontrolled migrant flows into the US.

Senator Cruz was quoted saying the following upon introducing the amendment: “Under Biden’s leadership, we have seen the largest illegal immigration crisis in our country’s history. Every single day, thousands of illegal aliens pour over our southern border and strain our communities. Women are being raped, children brutalised, and over 100,000 Americans are dying every year from narcotics and fentanyl flooding into our country.”

During his announcement of this amendment – one of the many congressional amendments he had introduced – the senator for Texas stressed they could not continue to turn a blind eye to the perilous invitation Biden’s administration gave out to break US border security legislation.

Cruz Border Security Amendment Bill is in Line With President Trump’s Immigration Policy

The announcement by Senator Cruz to introduce the Agent Raul Gonzalez Officer Safety Act aligns with the Trump administration’s commitment to solving the southern border crisis. Since his return to the White House last month, the president has taken actions to improve security and safety at the US-Mexico border.

The Republican-led administration blames Biden’s administration for leaving the US border wide open for undocumented immigrants, among whom they state include murderers, human traffickers and drug traffickers. The current administration has introduced policy changes to bolster US border security legislation and enforcement to combat the situation.

With Trump having declared a national emergency at the southern border of the US on January 20th, Senator Cruz’s proposed Act will likely sail smoothly with the support of the Republican-majority legislature.

Source: Senator Cruz’s Official Website

References:

Sen. Cruz Introduces Amendment to Add Border Security Policies to the Continuing Resolution

Sen. Cruz Introduces Comprehensive Border Security Amendment to the National Security Supplemental

Congress Amendment Text: S.Amdt.1904 — 118th Congress (2023–2024)

Further Reading:

ACLU Takes on Trump: Legal Battle Over Asylum Rights at the Border!

Anti-Money Laundering Law Boosted in US