Ted Poe

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, I want to talk about three stolen children and three fathers. Adam Walsh, a 6-year-old in Hollywood, Florida, disappeared on July 27, 1981, from a shopping store. His mother told him to play video games while she paid for a lamp. When she turned around, he had disappeared from the store. Apparently, the management had told him to leave. On August 10, 1981, Adam's decapitated head was found in the water at Vero Beach, Florida. The rest of his remains have never been found. Otis Toole, a serial killer, confessed to killing Adam in 1983. Police were not sure he was the killer, although he confessed again, but later recanted. Toole died in 1996 on death row for other crimes, and Adam's murder technically remains unsolved. His father, John Walsh, partner in a hotel management company, lived the ``All-American Dream'' with his family in Hollywood, Florida, but the effect of his son's death, Adam, was devastating. He lost everything, not only his business, his home, but his pride, Adam Walsh. He began campaigning for missing and exploited children, and his drive created the Missing Children Assistance Act of 1984, which established the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Also, John and his wife established the Adam Walsh Child Resource Center, and he has been host on ``America's Most Wanted'' since 1988. This TV program helps capture the worst criminals in America. He still is married and he has three children now, and he works daily to protect our children. Polly Klaas was abducted from her bedroom in the middle of the night on October 1, 1993, by Richard Allen Davis in California. He later strangled her and sexually assaulted her, and in December of that year, Davis led police to her body, and they discovered that she had been buried alive. Davis, a previously convicted felon, was sentenced to death in September 1996. He is on death row now in California waiting to be executed, as he needs to be. Marc Klaas, her father, worked in a Hertz car rental center in San Francisco prior to her death. Memories of his daughter Polly were sitting on the couch, watching her favorite show ``The Simpsons.'' She had a love for performing. She also loved to play her clarinet and would have loved to have been an actress. But the effect of her death, Mr. Speaker, in the words of her father, Marc, he said, ``I wanted to be dead for 10 years. No one has affected my life so positively and nothing has affected my life so negatively.'' After her abduction and murder, Marc gave up his business and dedicated his life to protecting our children. He is the founder of the Klaaskids Foundation, a nonprofit organization; and in 1994, he was instrumental in establishing the ``three strikes, you're out'' law in California. A third felony conviction means those criminals go to prison for 25 years to life. Mr. Speaker, number three, Jessica Lunsford, 9-year-old girl in Florida. She was abducted also from her bedroom on February 23, 2005, by a repeat sex offender, John Couey. This occurred in Homosassa, Florida. He repeatedly sexually assaulted her, and then he buried her alive in his backyard. It is interesting to note that ``America's Most Wanted'' helped capture this individual. On March 18, 2005, Couey confessed to raping and killing Jessica and told police where she was buried. He is waiting trial; and, hopefully, the folks in Florida will administer their corrective punishment, the death penalty, in his case. Mark Lunsford, her father, normal guy. In fact, he moved to Florida to protect his children. He was in the Army after high school and he loved his kids. He just worked as a heavy equipment operator at a recycling center. He says about his daughter that she loved to work with him and operate this heavy equipment. They took care of each other because that is what families do. The effect of her death has helped him to also work for children. He is helping get Jessica's Law passed in 18 States, which increases the minimum penalty for sex offenders to 25 years for first offenders. Mr. Speaker, these three fathers from three different backgrounds had a child stolen from them by a child predator. As a father of four and a grandfather of five, there would be nothing worse than to have a child murdered. I know all three of these fathers. In fact, two of them are in Washington today. They are still fighting for kids, and they are here today because the President signed the Adam Walsh Child Safety Act to toughen up registration of child predators. Twenty-five years ago today, Adam Walsh was kidnapped. Mr. Speaker, children are our greatest resource, and every time a child is born, God is making a bet on the future of our culture. We are not judged by the way we treat the rich, the famous, the powerful, the influential. We as a society are judged by the way we treat the weak, the innocent, the children. The voices of these three children, the roll call of the dead, Jessica, Polly and Adam, call from the graves for justice. America must be the land that concerns itself with the protection of its children, and we must win this war against those child terrorists who steal the lives of our children. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, illegal entry into our homeland negatively affects our economic security. Illegals are driving up the costs for health care, education, Social Security and other Social Services. Americans pick up the tab for these bills because illegals do not pay their way. Tim and Susan Jacob of Groves, Texas speak out on this fact. They say, ``It should be evident more than ever that the U.S. does not have the infrastructure for 12 to 20 million illegals. This summer we are seeing rolling blackouts, complete power outages, gasoline above $3 a gallon, Houston streets are overloaded with automobiles and illegals driving without insurance. We have hospital closings and poor performance of the public school system. Shut down the borders, enforce the existing laws and prosecute employers who hire illegals.'' Mr. Speaker, common sense rings true again. We cannot ignore the negative impact of illegal entry. It is morally wrong to make Americans pay the costs for foreigners illegally in our Nation. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Mr. Upton for his work on this bill. As co-founder of the Victims Rights Caucus, I strongly support this bill. Our Attorney General Gonzales says that one out of every five children in America is approached sexually on the Internet. In recent months, Congress and the national news media have put intense focus on the problem of Internet predators. Parents obviously have a responsibility to monitor what their kids see at home, but they leave home. They go to school, they go to libraries, and this bill helps parents parent better. Social networking sites such as MySpace and chat rooms have allowed sexual predators to sneak into homes and solicit kids, and this bill requires schools and libraries to establish those protections to prevent children from accessing MySpace and chat rooms while in school and libraries unless parents are there or unless there is supervision. The bill also requires the Federal Trade Commission to issue consumer alerts and establish a Web site alerting and educating parents and teachers about Internet sexual predators. Those people live among us. They prey on our youngest, our children, and they will do anything in their power to solicit those children. So this raises the awareness and the protection of our children, and I strongly support this bill.

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, it was described as ``more than 2 hours in hell.'' Those are the only words a central Texas sheriff could utter about the brutal attack of an 18-year-old girl. Driving home one night, she was run off the road by two illegals just fired from their jobs for showing up to work hung over. She was corralled just 2 miles from her house near Mexia, Texas, but she couldn't have been further from safety. They forced her into their vehicle, then drove around as they raped, beat and stabbed her numerous times. When they had finished their sinful crime, they tossed her bloody body in a ditch and left her for dead. When she reached a house nearby after crawling over a half mile, she lay on the porch and the woman inside heard her say, ``I'm going to die.'' The woman who found her covered in blood said she would never as long as she lived get that look on her face out of her mind. Javier Martinez of Mexico and Noel Hernandez of Honduras will have their day of judgment in a Texas courthouse very soon, but the two countries these outlaws come from should be held accountable and pay reparations to the victim of this assault. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the proceedings had during the recess be printed in the Record.

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, I request permission to take Mr. Jones's time.

Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, there is more news from the second front. This is the border, and the news is not good. It is disturbing. There is word tonight that some men and women charged with protecting our borders could be making their yearly salary in just a matter of days by taking bribes. That is right, bribes. Border Patrol agents, our the first line of defense in the fight to secure America's borders, may have dirty money on their mind instead of illegals, all the while they are compromising national security for a fist full of dollars. This month, two Border Patrol supervisors pleaded guilty after accepting $200,000 in bribes and working with the illegals to come into the United States. These supervisors were working on a test program set up between the Border Patrol and the Mexican Government where human smugglers, coyotes as we call them, were arrested in the United States and were supposed to be deported back to Mexico for prosecution. This is the same program that these officials have been raving about. They even came to Washington and testified before Congress that 82 suspected smugglers were returned back to Mexico last year. But what is worse is these supervisors used a government vehicle to bring two smugglers across the border. One bought his way out of jail for a $10,000 bribe while another shelled out $6,000 in bribes so he wouldn't be shipped back to Mexico. Then these two agents, new best friends of these two individuals, dropped them off at a Wal-Mart parking lot. Their case isn't the only one that is under investigation. In fact, it is far from it. Other Border Patrol agents charged with upholding our laws and our sovereign borders are facing Federal charges and investigations. Border Patrol agent Oscar Ortiz was in fact not even a United States citizen, an illegal himself, and he used a false birth certificate to, get this, Mr. Speaker, become a U.S. border agent and work on our border. His lies were only discovered as he conspired to smuggle in over 100 different people into the United States. Another example: two Border Patrol agents, brothers, have vanished into the darkness of Mexico because they were being investigated for smuggling drugs and illegal immigrants into the United States. Once they figured out that the Federal Bureau of Investigation was out to capture them, they took off and disappeared, as I said, into Mexico. Two other agents were indicted for taking bribes and allowing illegals to cross our border for a few dollars. Experts say targeting border agents is an easy task. You see, here is what happens. On the other side of the river, they watch our border agents with binoculars. They say coyotes look for weak inspectors and then they test them to see whether or not they are lawful. The way they do it is they send someone across the border, someone like a woman, who will flirt with the agent until he lets her in and the people that are with her in. Once this occurs, then these individuals are approached by these coyotes to see if they will let more people in, all in the name of money. Mr. Speaker, our national leaders are divided over what to do with immigration, what to do with the people that are here illegally; but the country cannot be divided over corruption on the border by border agents. Americans aren't okay with people buying and flirting their way into the United States. They demand safe and secure borders and honest and upstanding Border Patrol agents. Make no doubt about it, most of our Border Patrol agents are honest hardworking men and women. But we must make an example of anyone who breaks the immigration laws, no matter which side of the border they live on. From time to time, we point out even on this House floor corruption of some Mexican Government officials that work along the southern border when they are helping drug smugglers and coyotes all in the name of filthy lucre, so we cannot tolerate a few border agents who, in the name of money, sell out America and insult the good name of most of our border agents. So all of those who make money off of illegal entrants should be accountable, and it makes no difference, Mr. Speaker, who they are. The rule of law should be enforced. It is illegal to enter the United States without permission. That is the rule, and it should be enforced by honest border agents. And people that enter illegally should be held accountable. It makes no difference who those people are, whether they are illegals that cross, whether they are narcoterrorists that bring money or drugs into the United States to sell, whether they are coyotes, or whether they are illicit businesses in the United States that exploit illegals that are working here, or whether they are corrupt border agents. All of these must be held accountable for the actions they commit, because the border is a national security issue. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, more news from the second front. The battle for the border is continuing. When our government does not monitor illegal entry into our homeland, all types of bandits come through. One was Ramon Ramos. He and his accomplice, Francisco Salcedo, were stopped by Texas State Trooper Steven Stone for speeding in Tyler, Texas, 400 miles from the border. They were wearing body armor and armed with knives, handguns and assault rifles, and they were looking for trouble. Ramos showed Trooper Stone a forged driver's license, and then, at point blank range, started shooting. Trooper Stone was shot six times and left for dead. Ramos and Salcedo then led other law enforcement officers on a high speed chase. Ramos was recently convicted and sentenced to 14 life sentences. Why 14? Well, he tried to kill 13 other people, including peace officers in his blazing gun battle with the law. Salcedo will get his day in court later this week. Trooper Steven Stone miraculously survived. Mr. Speaker, these crimes against peace officers could have been avoided had the Federal Government done its sworn duty to protect the borders from illegal entry. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, people cry peace, peace. But there can be no peace as long as there is one side that enjoys the shooting and refuses to stop. Hezbollah, a gang of psychothugs and criminals, kidnapped Israelis and are firing rockets from their hole in the wall in southern Lebanon into Israel. Israel has responded and their commanders say they are going to take out these terrorists. Now appeasement peaceniks who believe in peace at any price, like France's Chirac, want Israel to stop and talk things over, probably over a bottle of French wine. But Hezbollah won't stop shooting. These are the same pseudopeace experts that told Israel to withdraw from occupying Lebanon. Israel did just that back in 2000, then gave up Gaza to the Palestinians so there would be so-called land for peace. But the terrorists in Gaza, Hamas, are shooting rockets into southern Israel, while Hezbollah terrorists, still in Lebanon, are shooting rockets into northern Israel. And the world's peace police still whine for harmony. Mr. Speaker, you make peace by making the terrorist criminals stop shooting. Here guns talk louder than appeasement words. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to take the time of the gentleman from North Carolina.

Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, this Hall that we work in every day is lined with 23 marble busts of great lawgivers that influenced American law. We have Hammurabi, Gaius, Justinian, Napoleon and, of course, Moses over here in the very center. But one of those people you won't see up there is Caesar Flavius Valens. Let me take you back 1,642 years, Mr. Speaker, and let's talk about a little bit of history. Caesar Valens controlled the Roman Empire. The Roman Empire at this time in the year 364 wasn't just Italy. It controlled all the area to the Balkans, the Mediterranean coastline, including North Africa, France, and even Spain and part of what is now England; and the Caesar of the Roman Empire at this time was Flavius Valens. He controlled basically the eastern part of the empire. And while he is Caesar, the barbarian nation of the Goths to his northeast started coming toward the Roman Empire. The reason was because the Huns, another barbarian group, had taken over the Goths' land and moved them toward the Roman Empire. So they migrated toward the Roman Empire, and at the time that this occurred, they came on the border. They were led by a person that was supposedly a friend of Rome, his name was Fritigern, King of the Goths, and he asked permission to come into Rome with some the Goths. Normally the Roman Government would not allow this, to have a state within a state; but, you see, Valens needed more people to be in his army and he needed more workers in the Empire of Rome. So he granted permission for some of the Goths to come in legally. But when the crossing started, the Roman Government didn't have enough border guards to control entry, and so massive waves of Goths came into the Roman Empire. What started out as a controlled entry mushroomed into a massive influx. Several hundreds of thousands came across the Roman Empire. But the Goths did not take the oath to support the emperor. They did not assimilate. They did not become Roman. And a few years later, this state within a state revolted and internal war started. It culminated at the Battle of Adrianople. Most Americans don't know where that is, but that is a place over in that area. It was the Waterloo for Valens. And the Goths and other barbarian groups assembled and took to the field. Of course, one of the Goth leaders was a person by the name of Fritigern, this supposed friend of Rome. The battle ensued and the Goths, with their large confederation, engaged the Roman cavalry. The Roman cavalry left. The Roman infantry was annihilated. Over two-thirds of these thousands of legionnaires were murdered, and Valens, of course was killed. I have a coin of Valens, it is about 1,600 years old. He is not on our wall. I just have this coin of him, and just his head, because that was all that remained of him after the Goths executed him, cut his head off, put it on a stake and marched around the Goth camp. Rome negotiated with all Goths and allowed them permanent status on Roman soil, and historians say this is one reason for the eventual fall of Rome, to allow a state to come into their state and refuse to make them assimilate. And in 410, the Goths sacked the City of Rome. History speaks for itself, Mr. Speaker. Failure to control illegal entry into a country causes some problems, and we are not talking about legal entry. We are talking about illegal entry. And it encourages a state within a state. And when people come illegally to a nation and refuse to take allegiance to that country, start sending money to another nation and they don't even learn the language, is America asking for trouble? Is America becoming just another Rome? Mr. Speaker, there are many reasons for the fall of Rome, but one of those reasons is simply the failure to control who came into their nation. I think the analogy is obvious. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, Americans pay millions a year of their money in health care costs for illegals. Now it is time for those renegade businesses that hire illegals and the Mexican Government to pay. Charles Hamilton of Spring, Texas, writes me: ``Texas taxpayers should not be made to pay the brunt for the high concentration of illegals here that the Feds won't stop from coming into our country. It might be an incentive for employers not to hire illegals if a tax was levied on each illegal hired. Employee rosters showing names and Social Security numbers should be checked for each company each year. Companies with illegals would pay a tax to cover the illegals' hospital costs.'' Mr. Speaker, Dallas County, Texas wants to bill or even sue Mexico for the hospital costs of illegals. But get this: The Mexican consulate arrogantly says, ``You can't do that, it is illegal.'' Mr. Speaker, the coconspirators of businesses that exploit illegals and the Mexican Government that encourages illegal entry need to pay for this health care. It is morally wrong to expect American citizens and legal immigrants to pay. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Madam Speaker, what is playing out in southern Lebanon is analogous to the days of yesteryear in the Old West. It is the cowboys versus the outlaws. There is a basic human right to self-defense. There is a basic right to shoot back when shot at. You don't have to duck, run or hide. And there is a further right to keep on shooting back until the bad guys stop shooting. This is taking place in the gunfight with Hezbollah outlaws and Israeli cowboys, just like the Old West. Hezbollah, a fancy name for a gang of terrorists, are kidnappers and killers, and they are hiding out in the hills of southern Lebanon. They are a state within a state. They are spreading terror. That's what terrorists do. They started shooting at Israeli citizens, kids and soldiers, and they won't stop no matter what we do. The outlaws have fired 1,100 rounds, and they will shoot thousands more because they preach death to Israel. So, Madam Speaker, what's a cowboy to do? Well, shoot back and keep on shooting until the Hezbollah gang stops, gives up, or is rounded up and locked up. It is a basic human right to defend yourself and take out the outlaws. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, our President was caught on camera, on microphone, and off the cuff yesterday. He said: ``What they need to do is get Syria to get Hezbollah to stop doing this (nonsense), and it's over.'' He told Tony Blair he felt like telling U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan to get on the phone with Syria's President and ``make something happen.'' After all, that's Annan's job. What he said was the truth. I am glad we got to hear his candor, his straight talk, his no nonsense analyzing the problem: Syria can stop this border war. He stated: ``Hezbollah is housed and encouraged by Syria and financed by Iran.'' Our President left out the politically correct niceties and cut to the chase. Mr. President, preach on, preach on. The blunt blazing truth without any fluff is what needs to be said. We know who is behind the attacks against Israel and we know who can stop it. It is time all people of the world hold the aggressive Hezbollah terrorist thugs accountable for starting this border war. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, ``humorous,'' ``outgoing,'' ``warm-hearted,'' ``devout.'' These are a few words to describe 16-year-old Ashton Glover, words that came instantly to those who knew her best and loved her. Ashton had the world at her fingers. She was entering Clements High School for her final year and then wanted to attend Texas A&M University to become a veterinarian. She was born in Lufkin, Texas, and she was proud of her country roots, and she held on to them. She now lived in the small town of Sugar Land, Texas, outside of Houston. She was a self-described tomboy. Ashton proudly held an officer position with the Future Farmers of America, and she preferred the outdoors and being among nature. Ashton was a devout Christian. When not with the First Colony Church of Christ Youth Group, she was always willing to help those less fortunate or those in need. She was always there to provide advice to friends or give a simple hug to those in pain. She thought her mission on Earth was to help people. A room instantly illuminated with Ashton's presence. Those who knew her stated they were the lucky ones. They were able to share in everything that Ashton was. Those who knew her, however, did not know that two other students, with hearts full of malice and souls fatally bent on mischief, were plotting to steal the life of Ashton. On July 7 Ashton met up with two 18-year-old students to go ``mudding.'' As you know, Mr. Speaker, that is something we do in the South, driving trucks through muddy fields. It was the type of activity that appealed to this fun-loving girl. Little did Ashton know that these two scoundrels had no plans to go ``mudding'' with her. Their sinister intentions were not revealed until it was too late for her to escape. They took Ashton to a dark, deserted construction site, away from the security of Sugar Land, Texas. Away from those who loved her. Away from the safety of her home. And they executed her gangland style. No reason. No argument. No justification. Just what one murderer called ``a morbid curiosity'' to see what would happen, to see what she looked like when we shot her in the back of the head. These two teenage terrors, feeling no remorse or human compassion, left Ashton to die there in the heap of garbage while they went over to IHOP for breakfast. Mr. Speaker, there is something evil and cold about people who kill someone and then go and have a hearty breakfast. After they were through eating their pancakes, they came back and buried her in a shallow grave. They went home and slept off the night's atrocity, while her family had nightmares of where Ashton was. When Ashton's body was located by police, the outlaws decided to run in the darkness of the night. They fled north to Canada, but they did not run fast enough or hard enough. They were caught at the U.S.- Canadian border after police typed their names into the national criminal database. This tragic and unspeakable crime hits close to my heart. As a father of four and grandfather of five, no father wants to lose a child in the fullness of youth. As a former prosecutor and judge, I believe in justice. And there must be justice, Mr. Speaker. Justice for a young girl who had a full and rewarding life ahead of her, who was murdered just so a couple of cowardly cunning criminals could see what it looked like to kill somebody, when a young girl took her last gasping breath. There must be justice for her family and her friends who must now endure life without her. These two killers must also get some justice, Mr. Speaker. Justice is getting what one deserves. These teens will no doubt cry and whine for mercy, but justice must rule the day. Justice for these two demons who brutally executed a young Ashton and extinguished a bright light in this world. Some individuals will now argue that these two 18-year-olds should be treated with compassion because of their age. Mr. Speaker, these two killers were macho enough to violently end the life of a young girl just to see the results. They should be macho enough to accept the punishment in the penitentiary, where they belong. Victims should not be discriminated against based upon the age of the offender. As King Solomon was once quoted as saying, ``Justice will only be achieved when those who are not injured by crime feel as indignant as those who are.'' And, Mr. Speaker, that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, in west Texas, rattlesnakes are king. They are deadly. They are poisonous. In the vastness of the heat, these snakes roam every town, every ranch. No place is safe, especially in the summer. When their well-known rattle whistles through the air, it is a warning for all to beware. And if they bite you, you die. They still lock down their poisonous jaws on prey, ranging from people to cattle, inhabiting the snake-infested land. These snakes live among us and they kill us. Mr. Speaker, Hezbollah is a snake in the grass, a terror ring funded by Iran, living beside the Israelis, slithering in the cloak of night, knowing no borders. Taking lives, claiming victims. We have heard Hezbollah's rattle. Why are we surprised? A rattlesnake does not change. You cannot negotiate with one. The snakes of Hezbollah are terrorists, and Israel has every right to turn and fight now that they have heard the rattle and seen this sneak snake attack. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, news from the second front: The border war continues. It sounds like a scene from Lonesome Dove or some other western movie. Hundreds of shots were ringing out over the Rio Grande River, piercing the night for a period of minutes. But movie villains, this was not. These are real outlaws that are shrouded in darkness and shooting at Americans, just like in the old days. The gunfire belongs to the border, the U.S.-Mexican border. Just last week, in the moonlight, was a scene of machine gun madness. It could have been a fatal barrage of bullets. Last Wednesday night, Border Patrol and Hidalgo County, Texas, sheriff's deputies patrolling the Rio Grande River, the international border between Mexico and the United States, stumbled upon two boys from Mexico that were running from outlaws on the Mexican side. They had just raided their ranch and kidnapped their father and killed a ranch hand, so they were fleeing these criminals. They were swimming to the safety of the United States. They were hiding in the cornfields of Mexico for several hours while machine gun carrying killers were looking for them. But violence did not end on the Mexican side of the river where it started. The victims swam across the river to their escape into the hands of U.S. law enforcement officers. Seconds after stumbling on the boys, law enforcement officers on the border and sheriff's deputies were engulfed in a barrage of bullets. The bad guys on the Mexican side of the border, these thugs who were lying in wait, would wait no more, and they decided to fire on American peace officers from their side of the river. As many as 10 men with machine guns turned their guns to fire 200 to 300 rounds of ammunition at law enforcement officers on the American side of the river. Luckily, the Americans had built a levee on the American side, just like a fortress, and they were protected from these kidnappers who would shoot their automatic weapons as if they were on the Israeli- Lebanon border. Their bullets ricocheted off this dirt wall. The deputies dove behind it, but they never returned fire to the Mexican side. This gang-style rural warfare you hear about on battlefields is in our own American backyard. In just the last year and a half, this is the fifth time Border Patrol has been shot at. Former Texas Ranger Doyle Holdrige put it best. He said, ``After dark on the Texas-Mexican border, it gets western.'' You won't even normally find Hidalgo County deputies in that area of the border. Their sheriff doesn't allow them to go there. He said it is too dangerous to patrol that portion of the river. Instead, the sheriff only reacts to calls for help, spending the rest of the time trying to make their presence known in neighborhoods that are in fear living on the border. Sheriff Lupe Trevino says the Federal Government has left the gate wide open, allowing thugs, plain criminals, to do damage on the American side of the border. He says drastic cuts have washed away homeland security funding and drained funds from community policing from this border area in South Texas. Sheriff Trevino says a lack of enforcement, lack of funding and lack of Federal support has left local authorities to stand by, while guerillas fire machine guns at them, invaders take over their neighborhoods and leave local law enforcement in harm's way while on border patrol. Mr. Speaker, this shootout of 200 to 300 rounds barely made the news last week. We hear all about the border shootings on the Israeli- Lebanon border, but, Mr. Speaker, our government should be as concerned about the gunfire on our border as we are about blazing guns in the Middle East. And that's just the way it is

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, our individual heritage of the past is important, but our future as Americans is more important. Many Americans trace their past through Ellis Island. Mrs. Maribeth Burgess Ray of Baytown, Texas, recently went there, and she says: ``While at Ellis Island, I found a profound statement. An article had a picture of a mother and her two sons. The newcomers' attire was that of the country from which they had fled. The statement was, `If the ones who flee do not change their appearance and speech, they only bring what they fled from to America, thus changing America into the country that they were fleeing from.''' Today, we forget what America is and what it stands for. If what you are fleeing from is so bad, leave it behind and adapt to what it is you are looking for. Let us keep America America, with the beautiful quilt of immigrants that make it up, but let us not turn America into something it is not. Don't let our borders be penetrated by the baggage that some refuse to leave behind. Mr. Speaker, people who come to America should assimilate and just become Americans. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, Americans are fed up. They are worn out, burned out and pocketed out of taking care of illegals who come here and expect a handout and a free ride, and now Americans, they are speaking out. Recently, taxpayers in Houston forked out over $125 million in hospital costs in just 1 year by treating more than 53,000 illegals, taking advantage of the system in our hospitals, taking advantage of Americans, and really taking advantage of legal immigrants. Mr. Speaker, it is morally wrong for illegals to enter this country with the expectation that they will live off of others. It is morally wrong for them to expect that Americans will pay to take care of them, take care of their health costs, their education costs and their social services costs. But now it is becoming illegal for illegals to get these services that even many Americans do not receive. Taxpayers are finding their own answers, while some Federal lawmakers in Washington remain deaf to their desire because they are too busy dueling over illegal immigration doctrines. State leaders are stepping in across the country. Just this week in Colorado lawmakers took a cue from their citizens by cutting through the conflict and passed 11 bipartisan bills, taking a tougher stance on illegal entry. Just like Houston, illegals have been drawn to Colorado like moths to a flame, and like many States, Colorado has left the porch light on for them because they have bad laws that encourage illegal entry such as laws that protect employers that hire illegals, providing illegals benefits that many Americans do not receive such as unemployment, grants and even medical care. This may explain why half of Colorado's immigrants are illegal, but those days may be over because now State legislators are aiming to flip the switch and turn out the lights and turn off the benefits that make being illegal so lucrative. This week, they passed 11 immigration bills, including making people prove that they are legal residents of Colorado in order to receive State and Federal benefits. That is a far-reaching requirement which will require many of those 1 million people to prove that they are in the State legally to receive benefits. Without that proof, they lose the benefits that Americans have to pay for because Americans always pay, always pay for illegal entry. Illegals will lose unemployment checks, grants to pay energy bills and even some public medical care, and even applying for these perks means a monetary punishment to illegals. They are also now busting business owners who, until recently, have left their own porch lights on, guiding illegals their way in the name of a bigger bottom line. Those businesses who exploit illegals make a profit off of cheap labor, but Americans pick up the tab for all social services. Now, they are going to lose a grip on that filthy lucre that they have gotten. Businesses that exploit those already living in the shadows of our society, beyond the scope of Federal work and wage regulations, it will cost those illicit businesses money in the form of fines if they do not keep records proving that they hire only legal residents. And while many Americans do not turn out at the polls, it seems some illegals find some way to vote in this country, and now it is going to be a felony if they do so. And while Colorado legislators have been hard at work, they are letting the voters make the really tough decisions. They are asking them in November on the ballot if they should sue the Federal Government for not enforcing Federal immigration laws. Voters will also be asked to deny tax benefits to business owners who hire illegals. Mr. Speaker, each day my office gets inundated with calls, e-mails and faxes of people demanding their voices be heard, demanding we secure the borders, demanding that government enforce the law, and demanding that government uphold its greatest responsibility, protecting the citizens. Mr. Speaker, the bills are mounting up. Illegals have run up their tab. Now it's time we turn out the lights because, Mr. Speaker, the party is over. And that's just the way it is

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, more news from the front: The border war continues. Our terrorist field hearings last week proved one thing: The vulnerabilities on our southern border are monumental. But it is not just our southern border coming under attack. It is Puerto Rico, that silent back door of illegal entry into America. This is something that we should be concerned with. Border agents there report a staggering lack of security. In fact, you can count on one hand the number of field agents that they have in Puerto Rico on patrol at any given time. Only four active patrol agents patrol this island at once, and they only have 23 agents on the whole island assigned to patrol an island with 363 miles of coastline. These field agents find themselves isolated with these limited resources. Our government even cherry-picks border agents there to send them to other spots, like our southwestern border. What could be more vulnerable than one agent patrolling 90 miles of coastline? Even the Blackhawk helicopters that they used to use are so broken down they don't even fly anymore. While we watch the southern border, the human smugglers, narcotics traffickers; and terrorists are not only watching our southern border, they are watching Puerto Rico, knowing it is an easy, back door gateway to America. With rumors of amnesty spreading throughout the world, especially Latin America and Asia, human smugglers are seizing the moment, causing crime and violence at the borders to skyrocket. This year Federal immigration officials say the waters off of Puerto Rico are filled with more human cargo than they have ever seen before. The tiny island just off Puerto Rico's coast, Mona Island, is a jumping-off spot for people who wish to illegally enter America. Last year, it was the site of more than 6,500 arrests of illegals traveling on rickety wooden boats called yolas. They storm Puerto Rico's beaches as if they were troops landing at Normandy or the Marines in World War II as they island-hopped in the Pacific. Out of 10 illegals that are crammed on one of these boats, border agents say they are lucky if they are able to capture two of them. And the smugglers who arrange these deadly and illegal invasions into Puerto Rico have seen a spike in their business. In 2001, for example, less than five Cubans were captured on Mona Island illegally entering the United States. But in the past 9 months, almost 600 have arrived; and they pay between $1,500 and $2,000 apiece to their human smugglers, and the human smugglers have yet to be prosecuted. It is so lucrative smuggling humans in the United States that it pays even more than trafficking drugs. But the most dangerous cargo are possible terrorists from Middle Eastern countries, China and Korea, that are easily masked by the thousands who rush the border monthly, thousands who rush the beaches; and Puerto Rico's leaders are worried that the island's drug traffickers could collaborate with terrorist organizations. Because, you see, once people get to Puerto Rico, they are home free to the rest of America if they do not stay in the Puerto Rico vicinity. They could stay there and destroy vital infrastructure that we have in Puerto Rico. For example, one of the two insulin plants that exist in the whole world is in Puerto Rico. And, of course, Puerto Rico is unique because it has a cruise business. We don't have much of a cruise business down on the Texas- Mexico border with the Rio Grande River, but they certainly have a cruise business in Puerto Rico. It makes a unique security problem for the United States, so we certainly need to beef up border security in this area. Once in Puerto Rico, illegal immigrants easily obtain false identification like birth certificates and driver's licenses. They fraudulently claim on these birth certificates and driver's licenses that they are U.S. citizens. So once they have convinced individuals at the border they are U.S. citizens, they easily assimilate into America. One official says getting a fake document in Puerto Rico is like getting a candy out of a candy jar. And airport security is not an obstacle either. At the airport on the northwest portion of the island, the 4:00 a.m. flight to the mainland of the United States, it is always full of people, but the Border Patrol is never there because they don't have enough agents to cover that portion and time zone. Mr. Speaker, Puerto Rico is an important part of America. It enjoys a unique relationship with the continental United States. It is part of America's homeland, and it is worth protecting from the sea of invasion by illegals. It is important that we have more border agents in Puerto Rico, and Puerto Rico needs the services of the U.S. Coast Guard. It cannot become the silent back door of illegal entry into the United States. It is a homeland security problem, it is a border security problem, and it is a national security problem. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to take Mr. Osborne's time.

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, Joe Carcamo, an illegal El Salvadoran, had 17 driving violations when he drunkenly was drag racing down a Michigan street and hit two teenagers. He was driving 75 miles an hour. He cracked the skull of one of them and the other girl lost both her legs. We could have stopped this reckless illegal after his first violation, which was breaking and entering into our country, but politics stops local law enforcement from making these arrests. Not so with Sheriff Joe Arpaio from Maricopa County. He is using an Arizona law that locks up smugglers and their customers, too, for conspiring to break the law. The Mexican Government wants to help illegals break out of his jail by suing Sheriff Joe for just enforcing American law. The word is out: Coyote smugglers avoid Maricopa County and the High Sheriff Joe Arpaio. Mr. Speaker, our sheriffs and Border Patrol do as good a job as we let them do, and our Nation must send out the word: Enter the House of America legally, or you will enter the jailhouse. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, it was a scene out of an old western movie: The villainous outlaw, realizing his defeat, surrenders in the hot sun to the valiant lawman. For Texas Ranger Drew Carter however, there was no mistaking that this scenario was not some Hollywood fantasy, but a dangerous reality. On July 13, 1999, Ranger Carter was waiting, with a knot in the pit of this stomach, at the center of a bridge connecting El Paso, TX to Mexico. He was waiting for true evil to show his face. This tale begins 2 years earlier when a series of brutal murders occurred in homes along the railroad tracks in Texas. Texans were paralyzed with fear by a serial killer dubbed the ``Railroad Killer.'' He baffled law enforcement because it seemed as if he randomly chose his victims and the times of the attacks, making it impossible to know who and when he would strike next. He used any weapon available: a pickax, a sledgehammer, a tire iron, a shotgun. The only common factor was that each victim lived by railroad tracks. Slowly, through cooperation of local, State, and federal agencies, Angel Resendez Ramirez, an illegal Mexican immigrant would be wanted for the brutal slayings. He was elusive, slipping back and forth across the U.S./Mexican border more than a dozen times, and evading several FBI arrest traps. It would finally take the unyielding efforts of Texas Ranger Drew Cater to end Ramirez's violent reign. The Texas Rangers are the most well-known and respected law enforcement officers in the WorId, more famous than Scotland Yard itself. Established in 1823 by Stephen F. Austin, the Rangers were the protectors of new settlers in the untamed Spanish Province, of what is now Texas. They have done battle with horse thieves, bank robbers, ``Indians,'' outlaws, and were even instrumental in the U.S.' success in the Mexican-American War. Over the next 150 years, the responsibilities of Texas Rangers grew to include investigations, fugitive apprehension, and assisting other law enforcement across the State. They are elite; there are only 118 commissioned Rangers, and Drew Carter had the aspiration of becoming one. He had dreamed of being nothing but a Texas Ranger since he was a small child. He was proud to wear that gleaming silver badge, white Stetson hat, and cowboy boots. Little did Ranger Carter know that he would make history. As law enforcement combed Texas for Ramirez in 1999, Ranger Carter conceived an idea for Ramirez's apprehension. He knew that Ramirez was close to his sister and thought maybe she would be willing to convince him to surrender. Carter's instinct proved to be correct: Ramirez's sister was more than willing to convince Ramirez to surrender. She was worried he would be killed by law enforcement, or worse, that he would kill again. Over several weeks, Carter worked out a deal with Ramirez's sister. If Ramirez would surrender, Carter would make sure that he was protected in jail, could be visited by family and friends, and would receive a psychological evaluation. Ranger Carter's terms were agreed to by Ramirez's sister, as well as by the district attorney of Harris County, TX, one location where Ramirez was wanted. The agreement was struck that Ramirez would peacefully surrender to Ranger Carter, and only Ranger Carter, on the middle of the bridge connecting Mexico and Texas. So on July 13, 1999, the demonic killer who had brutally terrorized the good citizens of Texas for nearly 2 years quietly shook the hand of Ranger Drew Carter and surrendered. On June 27, 2006 Angel Resendez Ramirez was put to death for his crimes, effectively ending his reign of terror forever. Had Ranger Carter not acted with the intelligence and diplomacy of a Texas Ranger, this justice may have never been carried out. He is a humble man, stating that he did not apprehend Ramirez on his own. Mr. Speaker, Ranger Carter was aided by other Texas lawmen and federal agents; but it was because of his particular heroism and determination, a dangerous killer faced the justice he deserved. Today, I am honored to pay him this tribute. That's just the way it is.

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, the State of Texas is a little richer today. But the money found along our border was not American money; it was money from the Middle East. A Sudanese dinar was found not too long ago along the Texas-Mexico border. This type of money is a whole lot more dangerous because it brings with it someone carrying this money. Someone that came into the United States obviously illegally from the nation of Mexico. The Sudanese dinar was discovered on our border, a clue that could have been easily lost among the trash trails illegal invaders from around the world leave behind. But unlike most, the person carrying that dinar may not dream of a better life in the United States. He probably didn't come to the United States looking for work. He could covet death and a whole lot of it. The threat of illegals infiltrating America is not just a threat to our economic security, it is a threat to our national security. Now, so many OTMs, in the vernacular, Other Than Mexico, are coming into the United States, especially into Texas the, terrorist threat increases. These people come from all over the world. They come from China, they come from Korea, they come from the Middle East. They come from Africa, they come from South America and they come from Europe. During recent national security hearings, clear and convincing evidence was released showing that the dark and deadly underground, created and thriving on human trafficking and on drug smuggling, is now diversifying into terrorism. Reports indicate that al Qaeda operatives have moved to Mexico, have assimilated into the population, have learned Spanish, and they are studying the culture and they are posing as Mexican workers. They create an illusion, then they wait, make their way to America. All the while, the hatred in their hearts is anything but phony. They know illegal entry allows them to live here and remain untraceable. It is the very freedom that they want to destroy. They will use that against us to infiltrate and weaken our Nation. For almost 5 years now, Mr. Speaker, we have been hunkering down, our eyes really turned north to Canada, the country that has long been touted by some as the de facto entry point for illegals. All the way terrorists could easily be sneaking through our back door, the southern border into the United States. They could pose as a day laborer, a blue collar worker, moving, then plotting undetected in the shadowy night and the broad daylight, among the people willing to break laws to earn money to send home. These are people who are willing to break into our country, our country. These are criminals who are bent on evil with hearts full of malice and mischief. They act in the name of radicalism and destruction and hatred. Mr. Speaker, we may have terrorists living among us. You have heard the phrase, ``It's not if, but when.'' Failure to protect our borders, failure to prevent OTMs from entering the United States puts America at risk. Then continuing this absolute absurd policy of capturing these OTMs from other countries and then telling them, on their oath, they need to come back to court for their deportation hearing, is absurd. We are not shocked that over 90 percent of them never return, but yet they are released into the heartland of the United States. This nonsense needs to stop. We need to find places for those who have decided to enter our country illegally, hold them and detain them until they get quick deportation hearings, then send them home where they belong. The duty of our government is to protect the citizens of this Nation. We protect the borders of other countries. We need to protect our own border. Border security is a national security issue. And we must have the moral will to protect the dignity and sovereignty of this Nation. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE

Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, more news from the front. Our battle for the border continues, and so does the hypocrisy from El Presidente Generalissimo Fox. So intent on tearing down American barriers, he is more intent on building his own, and he has taken millions of U.S. taxpayer dollars to do it. For years, Fox has taken American money as part of Operation BusBound, a joint U.S.-Mexican venture, to send illegal immigrants coming from Central America, going to Fox's southern border, and he wants to send them back home. But he wails when we, the United States, use our own money for our own southern borders, securing it with our troops who aren't even carrying weapons. However, Guatemalans, trying to illegally enter Mexico, just trying to take jobs Mexicans won't do, are reportedly met at the border with machete-wielding farmers and armed Mexican military. The old sly Fox is trying to protect his hen house while continuing to illegally enter ours. Why is the United States helping to protect the borders of other Nations while lacking the moral will to protect our own? This ought not to be, but, Mr. Speaker, that is just the way it is.