Austin News

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has introduced the Guarding and Administering Trespass Enforcement, Controlling Restricted Areas, and Stopping High-Risk Encroachment Recidivism and Sabotage (GATE CRASHERS) Act. The proposed legislation aims to strengthen criminal penalties for trespassing on Department of Defense (DOD) installations amid increasing incidents involving foreign nationals.

"Foreign nationals have increasingly been caught trying to illegally access DOD installations," said Sen. Cruz upon introducing the bill. "The criminal penalties they face for doing so are weak, they are clearly not deterred, and foreign adversaries including the Chinese Communist Party are seeking to exploit these weaknesses. These attempts pose an acute threat to our national security. They are especially troubling for Texans, as Texas is home to 15 active-duty military installations and more than 110,000 active-duty servicemembers. I am proud to introduce common-sense legislation to strengthen existing enforcement against any individual trespassing on an American military installation and to increase the criminal penalty for repeat offenders."

In September 2023, the Wall Street Journal reported that U.S. officials had recorded up to 100 instances of Chinese nationals posing as tourists entering DOD installations and other secured facilities. This significant number of incidents suggests a centralized espionage effort. In May 2024, two Jordanian illegal immigrants attempted to drive a box truck through the main gate at Marine Corps Base Quantico but were stopped by Marine Corps police.

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