IV 
114TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 281 
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding the success 
of Operation Streamline and the importance of prosecuting first time 
illegal border crossers. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 21, 2015 
Mr. GOSAR (for himself, Mr. FRANKS of Arizona, Mr. DUNCAN of Tennessee, 
Mr. DESJARLAIS, Mr. SCHWEIKERT, Mr. SMITH of Texas, Mr. OLSON, 
Mr. KELLY of Pennsylvania, Mr. BROOKS of Alabama, Mr. RICE of South 
Carolina, Mr. MCCLINTOCK, Mr. MULVANEY, Mr. NUGENT, Mr. WEBER 
of Texas, Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina, Mr. SESSIONS, Mr. BARLETTA, 
and Mr. JODY B. HICE of Georgia) submitted the following resolution; 
which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition 
to the Committee on Homeland Security, for a period to be subsequently 
determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provi-
sions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
RESOLUTION 
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regard-
ing the success of Operation Streamline and the impor-
tance of prosecuting first time illegal border crossers. 
Whereas the Border Patrol’s Yuma Sector has long grappled 
with the crossing of illegal aliens and has seen illegal 
traffic decline precipitously from the early 2000s to the 
present; 
Whereas a combination of increased manpower, technology 
implementation, and the delivery of appropriate con-
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•HRES 281 IH 
sequences have resulted in gains in border security in the 
Yuma Sector; 
Whereas a key to the success in the Yuma Sector has been 
the implementation of Operation Streamline, a program 
established in 2005 that was described by former Depart-
ment of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano 
as ‘‘a DHS partnership with the Department of Justice, 
. . . a geographically focused operation that aims to in-
crease the consequences for illegally crossing the border 
by criminally prosecuting illegal border-crossers.’’; 
Whereas known for its ‘‘zero-tolerance’’ approach, the Yuma 
County Sheriff’s Office cites 100 percent prosecution of 
illegal border crossers as a shared goal of a partnership 
including Federal, State, and local law enforcement agen-
cies; 
Whereas among the various consequences delivered to illegal 
crossers by the Department of Homeland Security, Oper-
ation Streamline is associated with a recidivism rate that 
is well below average and has seen a steady decrease in 
recidivism in recent years; 
Whereas the United States Attorney’s Office for the District 
of Arizona will reportedly no longer be prosecuting those 
apprehended crossing the border illegally for the first 
time; and 
Whereas according to the Sheriff of Yuma County, Operation 
Streamline ‘‘had a deterrent effect in Yuma County, 
which gained a reputation as an area to avoid crossing 
into because if caught, you were assured to go to court 
and possibly face penalties’’, but now the program ‘‘has 
been severely diluted.’’: Now, therefore, be it 
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•HRES 281 IH 
Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Rep-
resentatives that— 
(1) gains made in border security in the Yuma 
Sector and positive trends in recidivism rates are of 
critical importance to those living and working in 
the border region and to the Nation as a whole; 
(2) refusing to prosecute first time illegal bor-
der crossers under Operation Streamline will jeop-
ardize border security gains; 
(3) the border security steps that have led to 
some measure of improvement on the border, such 
as the historical implementation of Operation 
Streamline, should be preserved; and 
(4) the executive branch should immediately re-
move any issued or related prohibition, policy, guid-
ance, or direction to cease prosecuting first time ille-
gal border crossers under Operation Streamline. 
Æ 
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