Tipsheet

House Democrat Votes Against Bill Named for Border Agent Killed in His District

Rebecca Downs
Rebecca Downs  |  February 01, 2024 9:00 AM

This article has been updated to include a statement from the NRCC. 

On Tuesday, 154 Democrats voted against the Agent Raul Gonzalez Officer Safety Act, a bill sponsored by Rep. Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ) meant to hold those responsible who engage in high-speed car chases with Customs and Border Protection (CBP) within 100 miles of the border. The bill makes it a federal crime if anyone is killed, as Border Patrol Agent Raul Gonzalez, for whom the bill is named after, was in 2022. 

While the bill did pass with bipartisan support, Rep. Vicente Gonzalez (D-TX) was not among the 56 Democrats who voted for its passage. This is despite how the deceased agent was killed in the congressman's district in the Rio Grande Valley.

The vote did not go unnoticed by former Rep. Mayra Flores (R-TX), whose special election win in June 2022 made her the first Mexican-born member of the House. She lost the November 2022 election, however, after redistricting pitted incumbent against incumbent and she faced Rep. Gonzalez, who had previously represented the 15th Congressional District. That matchup had been a messy one, with Gonzalez and 

"This bill that would toughen criminal penalties for undocumented immigrants fleeing border patrol in motor vehicles," her post noted in part. Ciscomani's bill would make it so that those responsible for the deaths of border patrol agents or those law enforcement assisting border agents could face life sentences. They'd also be ineligible for legal status. 

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The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) also took note of Rep. Gonzalez voting against the bill. "It requires a certain level of liberal brain rot for Vicente Gonzalez to think evading Border Patrol is acceptable. Texas voters deserve better than Gonzalez who sides with dangerous and illegal activity over the safety of the community," said NRCC Spokeswoman Delanie Bomar.

In his remarks, Ciscomani, whose district is about 15 miles north of the Mexican border, spoke about the common-sense nature of the bill, especially when it comes to the alarming frequency that such chases take place. 

Quoting one of his constituents, the congressman noted that "at least once a week, there is a high-speed chase through my town that also includes a 15-mile-per-hour school zone." Another constituent shared that "we have multiple high-speed vehicle pursuits each week," adding "the lack of federal resources to deal with those has led the county sheriff to become the defacto law enforcement agency to interdict the human smugglers."

Currently, the burden is on local communities, Ciscomani noted, a burden which he insisted they should not have to take on. 

Last month, Flores declared that she was running again for her old seat. She also has since earned the endorsement of former and potentially future President Donald Trump.