Border Patrol Agents Told to Not Chase All Vehicles That Flee

KINNEY COUNTY, Texas—Border Patrol agents will soon be limited in chasing vehicles that flee from them, under new rules unveiled in January and set to take effect in May.
Agents must determine that vehicular pursuits are “necessary and objectively reasonable” under the rules, and can terminate a pursuit at any time without fear of questioning from superiors.
Agents are being told that they must consider factors such as “the seriousness of the reason” for a pursuit and weather conditions when deciding whether to chase a fleeing vehicle that failed to stop at a checkpoint or port of entry—the official places to enter the United States from Mexico and Canada.
“A Vehicular Pursuit is considered Necessary when an Authorized Officer/Agent concludes there is an immediate need to apprehend a subject as part of their enforcement duties based on the totality …