Tillis reintroduces bill that would make blocking traffic a federal crime

In light of the recent Los Angeles riots, US Sen. Thom Tillis, R-NC, led in reintroducing a bill that would make it a federal crime to purposely obstruct, delay, or affect commerce by blocking a public road or highway. 

Fellow Republican senators Ted Budd, NC, Marsha Blackburn, TN, Tommy Tuberville, AL, and Bill Cassidy, LA, co-sponsored the bill.

The Safe and Open Streets Act was first introduced in 2023  after a group of protesters blocked the Durham Freeway (NC-147), the main artery through Durham and a major connector for the Research Triangle area, during rush hour on Nov. 2. They held banners against Israel’s response to the Oct. 7 massacre by Hamas on Israeli civilians and called for a ceasefire.

The 2025 version of the bill is in direct response to the radical tactics of anti-ICE protestors who have intentionally blocked roads and highways across the country, including in Los Angeles, stranding drivers and blocking commerce. It would penalize lawbreakers through fines or up to five years of imprisonment.

“The emerging tactic of radical protestors blocking roads and stopping commerce is not only obnoxious to innocent commuters, but it’s also dangerous and will eventually get people killed. It needs to be a crime throughout the country,” Tillis said in a press release. “I’m proud to introduce the Safe and Open Streets Act so that radical activists who resort to these reckless and dangerous tactics are held accountable under the full weight of the law for endangering public safety.” 

Budd said, “Protestors who willfully block traffic pose a serious threat to public safety by impacting the flow of emergency vehicles and personnel. “They can also significantly inconvenience Americans trying to get to and from work, school, or important personal business. The First Amendment protects the right to assemble and protest peacefully, but it does not permit such behavior. I’m proud to join Sen. Tillis and our colleagues in ensuring America’s streets are kept clear for everyone.”

North Carolina has continued to see problems with traffic being shut down on a major roadway when, last February, a protest against President Donald Trump’s immigration policies affected traffic at the intersection of South Holden Road and West Gate City Boulevard in Greensboro. It also affected Interstate 40, with police blocking off the ramp at Exit 217.

Last year, pro-Palestinian protesters blocked the Richmond-Petersburg Turnpike in Virginia, where Interstates 64 and 95 converge and run through the city.

Protesters threw ladders and laid chicken wire across the Rocky Mount-bound highway lanes to stop rush hour at the city’s downtown “Boulevard” exit.

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