Political Quotes

“Mr. Chair, H.R. 5585, the ``Agent Raul Gonzalez Officer Safety Act'' would establish criminal and immigration penalties for flight in a motor vehicle from a pursuing U.S. Border Patrol agent or any federal, state, or local law enforcement assisting in such pursuit. We grieve the loss of Agent Gonzalez and honor his service and dedication to the safety and security of our country. We owe a great debt to Agent Gonzalez for his sacrifice and offer our deepest condolences to his family. I am deeply concerned about the safety of those law enforcement officers working to secure our borders, particularly with regard to the dangers presented by vehicular pursuits. We must be certain that we are creating a framework that will truly ensure their safety. In doing so, we not only honor Agent Gonzalez but we make certain that we have no further loss of life in this way. It goes without saying that I cannot support this bill if the mandatory minimum penalties remain, especially since they would be triggered without a finding of intent to kill or inflict serious bodily injury. And still there are larger issues lurking in the definition of the offense--namely, the elements that must be proven to establish a violation. As the bill is currently written, it fails to require conduct that would indicate some knowledge of wrongdoing, such as the refusal to obey a verbal or audible signal by law enforcement to stop operation of the vehicle.…”