Temecula to Ask Congress to Curb Border Patrol

Temecula will take its battle against high-speed U.S. Border Patrol chases to Congress before it considers whether to appeal a court ruling that threw out a city lawsuit against the federal agency.

In a closed meeting Wednesday, the Temecula City Council voted unanimously to send Mayor Patricia Birdsall and City Atty. Jerry Patterson to Washington, where they can express the city’s desire for the Border Patrol to rewrite its high-speed pursuit policy, City Clerk June Greek said.

Birdsall and Patterson plan to speak July 30 before the House Subcommittee on Government Information, Justice and Agriculture, and the House Subcommittee on Immigration, Refugees and International Law on Aug. 5, Greek said.

“In the meantime, the city will delay making any further decisions on whether to appeal the dismissal of the lawsuit” until an Aug. 11 council meeting, she said. The city has until Aug. 17 to file an appeal.

A federal judge June 18 rejected the lawsuit, saying the federal government was immune to the city’s action.

The city’s lawsuit against the federal Immigration and Naturalization Service was prompted by the June 2 Border Patrol chase of a vehicle containing 12 illegal immigrants that preceded a crash that left six people dead. The chased vehicle was traveling about 80 m.p.h. near Temecula Valley High School when it collided with a car carrying a father, his son and a schoolmate, and then struck a brother and sister on a sidewalk, killing all five. An illegal immigrant in the pursued vehicle also died from his injuries a week later.

On Wednesday, the City Council also directed the city attorney to file a claim against the Border Patrol seeking payment for costs the city incurred when police, fire and paramedic services responded to the crash.