Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) is set to reintroduce legislation to increase penalties for assaulting police amid recent protests in Los Angeles.
The legislation, which Gonzales previously introduced in 2023, aims to “increase jail time and civil fines for assaulting a law enforcement officer or interfering with the performance of their official duties” and is named the Curbing Offenses on Policing Services Act (COPS Act) according to a Monday press release from Gonzales.
“The chaos unleashed by rioters in Los Angeles this weekend is anything but a peaceful protest—it’s anarchy,” Gonzales said in the release.
“Radical activists damaged Border Patrol and ICE vehicles while these agents were on duty, and as a result, injuries were reported. It’s time to highlight a very clear message: if you harm a law enforcement officer, you’re going to face severe consequences,” he added. “This week, I will introduce the COPS Act in Congress to increase charges for anyone who assaults our law enforcement personnel or keeps them from performing their official duties.”
According to Gonzales’s release, the COPS Act looks to take actions that include increasing the amount of time spent in prison by an extra year “for anyone who forcibly assaults, resists, opposes, impedes, intimidates, or interferes with federal officers in performing their duties or as a result of their duties.”
Trump deployed 2,000 National Guard members to the Los Angeles area on Saturday amid protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said previously the action was due to “violent mobs” recently attacking “Federal Law Enforcement Agents carrying out basic deportation operations.”