The Leadership Conference Opposes H.R. 35, the “Agent Raul Gonzalez Officer Safety Act”
View a PDF of the letter here.
Oppose H.R. 35, the Agent Raul Gonzalez Officer Safety Act
February 13, 2025
Dear Representative:
On behalf of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, a coalition of more than 240 national civil and human rights organizations, I am writing to urge you to oppose H.R. 35, the Agent Raul Gonzalez Officer Safety Act. The Leadership Conference intends to record your vote on H.R. 35 in our voting record for the 119th Congress.
The new criminal offense established in H.R. 35 is vague and overbroad, and would almost certainly invite discriminatory enforcement. It would also add new federal mandatory minimum sentences, which The Leadership Conference has long opposed because they eliminate judicial discretion and produce racial disparities within our criminal legal system. High-speed flight from immigration checkpoints is already criminalized under federal law, but this bill would create a new offense that could occur far away from the border, where immigrants and citizens alike would likely not have reason to know they were being pursued by U.S. Border Patrol or an officer acting under federal authority.
H.R. 35 also raises serious due process concerns in the immigration context. It provides that even admitting to “committing acts which constitute the essential elements of a violation” involving the evasion of law enforcement would result in inadmissibility and deportability, and it would preclude any possibility of asylum or other forms of relief. It appears to allow for this without actual criminal proceedings. In all, this legislation is excessive, unnecessary, and ultimately will not actually protect law enforcement officers.
For these reasons, The Leadership Conference urges you to oppose H.R. 35. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Rob Randhava, senior counsel, at [email protected]
Sincerely,
Jesselyn McCurdy
Executive Vice President for Government Affairs