Feenstra Votes to Prosecute and Imprison Illegal Immigrants who Threaten Border Patrol Agents on High-Speed Pursuits

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra (R-Hull) voted for, and the U.S. House of Representatives passed, the Agent Raul Gonzalez Officer Safety Act in memory of Border Patrol Agent Raul Gonzalez, Jr. who was killed in the line of duty while pursuing a group of illegal immigrants in Texas.

This legislation would impose criminal and immigration penalties on individuals – namely drug traffickers and illegal immigrants – who intentionally evade border patrol agents or other law enforcement officials while operating a motor vehicle within 100 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border.

“Drug traffickers and illegal immigrants who threaten the lives of our border patrol agents must be detained, prosecuted, and imprisoned. That includes evading law enforcement officers at our border on high-speed chases. Tragically, Border Patrol Agent Raul Gonzalez, Jr. was killed in this exact way because a group of criminal illegal immigrants defied orders and took off at high speed,” said Rep. Feenstra. “I voted for the Agent Raul Gonzalez Officer Safety Act in memory of Agent Raul Gonzalez, Jr. so that we hold dangerous illegal immigrants accountable for their actions. By passing this bill, we send a clear message that we will not tolerate lawlessness and chaos that endanger the lives of our border patrol agents.”

Illegal immigrants convicted of committing a crime related to a high-speed pursuit would be subject to deportation and could face up to two years in prison. If the incident results in serious bodily injury of a border patrol agent or an American citizen, illegal immigrants could face between five and twenty years in federal prison, and if the incident results in the death of a border patrol agent or an American citizen, illegal immigrants would face no less than ten years in prison and as much as life in prison.

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