House Passes Bill To Slap Major Criminal Penalties On Migrants And Smugglers Who Flee Border Patrol
ARJUN SINGH
CONTRIBUTOR
January 30, 2024
4:57 PM ET
The House of Representatives passed a bill on Tuesday to impose new criminal and immigration penalties on smugglers and illegal migrants evading arrest across the southern border.
Criminal cartels linked to the cross-border drug trade have invested heavily in efforts to illegally smuggle foreign nationals seeking to live in the United States across the southern border, with their operatives, known as “coyotes,” often directing migrants into the interior of the country and leading to U.S. Border Patrol (USBP) pursuits. On Tuesday, the House passed a bill to target such conduct, which has previously resulted in injuries and deaths of USBP agents. (RELATED: Former Officials Attack Leaked Senate Border Deal, Say Biden Is Trying To Deflect Blame)
The bill was passed by a vote of 271 yeas to 154 nays, with many Democrats voting in favor. It was principally sponsored by Republican Rep. Juan Ciscomani of Arizona, whose district includes a portion of the international border with Mexico, and is named the “Agent Raul Gonzalez Officer Safety Act” for a USBP agent who, in 2022, died in the line of duty while pursuing migrants on an all-terrain-vehicle (ATV).
“My district sees high-speed car chases coming through our communities every day, putting both the lives of Arizonans and Border Patrol agents in jeopardy,” wrote Ciscomani in a press release in September of 2023 about the bill. “We must send a signal to any bad actors illegally coming through the southern border that their actions have dire consequences.”
https://dailycaller.com/2024/01/30/house-passes-bill-target-migrant-smugglers-fleeing-border-patrol/
