Juan Ciscomani: “I thank Mr. McClintock for yielding me the time. I am excited to see the House take up my bill, H.R. 5585, the Agent…”

“I thank Mr. McClintock for yielding me the time. I am excited to see the House take up my bill, H.R. 5585, the Agent Raul Gonzalez Officer Safety Act. This bill is simple. It makes evading law enforcement within 100 miles of the border a Federal crime. Mr. Chairman, how anybody can be against this commonsense legislation is beyond me. Calling it unnecessary is something that maybe those that are opposing this should address with the families of those that have perished due to incidents and these tragedies that we see on the border and in my district on a weekly basis. To me it is simple. It is common sense that this should be a Federal crime. Far too many lives have been jeopardized and tragically even taken at the hands of bad actors who engage in high-speed pursuits. If you evade CBP or local law enforcement, you are clearly not a good actor. Unfortunately, the current law does not make this a crime in and of itself, and it leaves the burden of prosecuting these individuals to our local communities--as if they haven't already paid the price of this administration's failures on this issue. Not only is this bill common sense, it is crucial, and in some cases, even lifesaving. To quote one of my constituents, At least once a week there is a high-speed chase through my town that includes a 15-mile-an- hour school zone. Do residents need to die to get the attention needed to correct this border problem?…”