Sponsors (10)
The bill increases federal enforcement and reporting around vehicle evasion near the border—potentially improving deterrence and giving DOJ/DHS clearer tools—while substantially widening federal criminal and immigration consequences that affect residents, migrants, and government budgets.
People in border communities may face fewer dangerous high-speed chases because fleeing drivers can be prosecuted under a federal statute within 100 miles of the border, which could deter reckless flight and reduce immediate threats to bystanders.
Federal prosecutors and immigration enforcement authorities gain clearer statutory authority to charge, deny relief to, or remove people tied to vehicle-evading conduct, reducing legal ambiguity for DOJ, DHS, and immigration adjudicators in these cases.
Immigration enforcement (DHS) can bar or remove noncitizens convicted of evading arrest in a vehicle, which supporters say can improve public safety by removing individuals with that offense from the country.
Residents and everyday drivers within 100 miles of the border face expansion of federal criminal jurisdiction over routine traffic incidents, increasing the chance that local pursuits become federal cases.
Noncitizens (including asylum seekers) convicted of or admitting to the vehicle-evading offense would be permanently barred from asylum and many forms of relief, substantially raising the risk of removal to countries where they may face persecution or harm.
People driving in the border zone—residents, visitors, and migrants—could face federal criminal charges with lengthy prison terms (up to 5–20 years for serious injury, 10 years to life for death), increasing the stakes of traffic incidents.
Based on analysis of 4 sections of legislative text.
Introduced February 11, 2025 by Rafael Edward Cruz · Last progress February 11, 2025
Creates a new federal crime for operating a motor vehicle within 100 miles of the U.S. border while intentionally fleeing a pursuing U.S. Border Patrol agent (or any federal, state, or local officer lawfully assisting Border Patrol). The offense carries tiered prison terms: up to 2 years for the basic offense, 5–20 years if serious bodily injury results, and 10 years to life if death results. Adds a categorical immigration consequence: noncitizens convicted of (or admitting) this offense become inadmissible to the United States, removable if present here, and ineligible for immigration relief including asylum. Requires the Attorney General, with DHS consultation, to deliver an annual report to Congress with counts and enforcement metrics related to the new offense.