TALLAHASSEE, FL- A proposed federal law, modeled after a Florida bill passed last year, would make it illegal to obstruct police officers and require bystanders to maintain a buffer zone when law enforcement officers are working in their official capacity, Gulf Coast News reports.
Often referred to as a “Halo Act,” the federal legislation, proposed by Florida Sen. Ashley Moody, is intended to address the constant harassment being endured by ICE officers and other federal officials engaged in immigration enforcement.
“We have got to help them, in this country, make sure they [law enforcement officers] can do their jobs without these assaults that are targeting them,” Moody, who is married to a law enforcement officer, said.
The bill is similar to the Florida law and would impose fines or jail time for anyone who enters an area where police are working and refuses to leave after being warned to do so. Moody said the bill comes in response to the increasing violence and attacks against law enforcement officers nationwide.
“I want to take a good policy that we have been able to use in Florida, to make that a haven and an example for our great men and women of law enforcement, and make sure we are taking that nationwide,” Moody continued.
“As the wife of a law enforcement officer, former Attorney General, and now United States Senator, I have always supported and fought for the selfless individuals who protect and serve our nation. I am appalled at the news reports of people harassing and targeting federal officers while they are simply trying to do their jobs, and this must end. I’m introducing the Halo Act to enact criminal penalties for those that threaten or impede these federal officers while they are faithfully executing their duties.”
The Halo Act would:
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Make it illegal for anyone—after being told to stay back—to knowingly come within 25 feet of a federal immigration officer who is doing their job if their intent is to:
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Get in the way or interfere with the officer’s work,
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Threaten the officer with physical harm, or
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Harass the officer
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Anyone who violates the Act could face a fine, up to five years in prison, or both.
Those who oppose the measure complain that they believe the law would raise issues related to racial profiling and are concerned about how the law would be enforced.
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