February 17, 2025
By Congressman Nick Langworthy
This week, House Republicans and the Trump Administration continued to fulfill their promises to secure the border and restore law and order.
On Thursday, we passed the Agent Raul Gonzalez Officer Safety Act that cracks down on illegal immigrants who flee from U.S. Border Patrol and law enforcement and strengthens penalties for assault against an officer. This bill was named in honor of Border Patrol Agent Raul Gonzalez, Jr who was killed in the line of duty while pursuing a group of illegal aliens in Texas.
In the past four years, Customs and Border Patrol agents encountered more than seven million illegal aliens across the Southwest border and high-speed chases have significantly increased, particularly in areas like Tuscon, Arizona and El Paso Texas, where they have led to serious injury and death. Just last month, Border Patrol Agent Chris Maland was shot and killed at the Swanton Sector of the Northern Border.
Our law enforcement officers risk their lives every day to keep us safe. This legislation sends a clear message that if you endanger American lives, you will face serious consequences. I was proud to support this commonsense legislation and look forward to seeing it passed in the Senate and go before the President to be signed into law.
I also want to applaud Attorney General Pam Bondi for her action this week announcing charges have been filed against New York Governor Hochul, Attorney General Tish James, and DMV officials for their dangerous Green Light Law that shields criminal illegal immigrants from federal law enforcement. I have long fought against this horrible law and recently led a letter on behalf of New York’s Republican Congressional delegation urging Governor Hochul to repeal it.
With an estimated 759,218 illegal immigrants residing in New York City alone, including 58,000 individuals who are either convicted felons or facing criminal charges, any law that prohibits sharing critical information with federal authorities is both dangerous and indefensible. Thankfully, we now have a U.S. Justice Department who will enforce the law where sanctuary states will not. The safety of American citizens must always come first.
