Silvestre Reyes

Mr. REYES

Mr. REYES. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to recognize Dr. Charles Roark as the Northeast El Pasoan of the Year for 1997. In addition to his outstanding work for Hospice, he also serves as district 5 school board trustee. Dr. Roark attends home education activities and is actively interested in the accomplishments of homeschool students. Dr. Roark is a past president of the Northeast Civitan Club and past district governor for the Great Southwest District of Civitan International. He is also a past president of the Northeast Civic Leaders Council. Dr. Roark continues with his active involvement in boys' baseball and other youth activities in Northeast El Paso. He received the highest certification that can be obtained in the health care administration as a Fellow American College of Health Executives. Dr. Roark is also active in his local church community. Dr. Roark is a man of integrity, honesty, and dedication. His love of El Paso and his willingness to give himself should be a model for all El Pasoans to follow. I am proud to recognize Dr. Roark as the Northeast El Pasoan of the Year 1997. He shines as bright as the star on our mountain.

Mr. REYES

Mr. REYES. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding this time to me, and now I can perhaps give some personal perspective to what is being discussed here this evening in the hypothetical, although I will tell my colleagues that hearing some of the impassioned reasons like trade, commerce, long waiting lines, tourism, congestion; as my colleagues know, they are discussing Canada, but they are describing the southern border with Mexico, and my good friend, the gentleman from Minnesota [Mr. Oberstar], made mention that perhaps this bill should never have been passed. Well, absolutely there were a lot of things that were passed in this House before I was able to be here that should not have been passed. There were a lot of things that we are going to have to go back and address because they are simply not fair, and what we are doing here this evening is simply not fair. And I can tell my colleagues as a ex-immigration officer, as an ex- border patrol chief, the gentleman from Michigan [Mr. Conyers] is absolutely correct. If we shut down the southern border, guess where they are going to smuggle from? Guess where intelligence today tells the United States Border Patrol, the United States Customs, the United States Immigration Service, the United States Secret Service, guess where the focus of entry is? Guess where the only documented cases of entries into this country for terrorism have come through? It has not been through Mexico, because, no, we have been pretty darn tough on Mexico. It has been through the Canadian border, because, as several of my colleagues have said, heck, we have an open border up there. I grew up there. I played baseball. I went back and forth. There is a gentleman that has got a girlfriend and goes back and forth. Well, guess what? Those same things could describe the relationship between Texans and Mexico, between New Mexicans and Mexico, between Arizona and Mexico, between southern California and Mexico. All of those things are appropriate, all of those things apply to the southern border of the United States as well. And my point here tonight is that this issue is about fairness. This issue is about listening to ourselves as we make these arguments in some inane way where the people on the southern border cannot understand us. First my colleagues want to be tough, then they want to be not so tough on the northern border. Well, my colleagues, it does not work that way. It does not work that way because the men and women that enforce the laws of this country, myself included for 26\1/2\ years, are impartial. We do not want to enforce one law on the southern border and another law on the northern border. We do not want to treat Canadians one way and Mexicans a different way. Let us get a grip. If we want to be fair, if this country is going to remain the beacon of fairness, the beacon of liberty, the beacon of opportunity, then for God's sake let us do the right thing and let us apply the law equally on the northern border as it is on the southern border.

Mr. REYES

Mr. REYES. Mr. Speaker, I rise this morning in strong support of this bill. I rise today in support of this bill to restore the military construction projects which were vetoed from the military construction appropriations bill. Although I was not a Member of Congress when the line-item veto authority was passed and I do not necessarily support the line-item veto which I believe unfairly shifts the balance of power in this government, I understand that the purpose of the line-item veto is, basically, to eliminate wasteful and unnecessary spending--pork. The projects included in the military construction bill were not pork. As a Member of the House National Security Committee's Subcommittee on Military Facilities and Installations, I know how well each of the projects was vetted. All projects had to meet a need of the military and construction had to begin before the end of the next fiscal year. Even the Pentagon knows how important these projects are because most were included in its outyear budget plans. When the President used his line-item veto on the military construction bill, his criteria included: 1. That the project could not make an immediate contribution to quality of life, or 2. That the project could not begin in fiscal year 1998. First, in regards to the ability to begin construction in fiscal year 1998, both the military construction appropriations and authorizing subcommittees reviewed all the projects closely and verified with the military services that construction on each project could begin next year. The administration also has now admitted projects were vetoed based on incorrect information. Second, many members of the House National Security Committee, including myself, find odd that the criteria did not include safety of our men and women in uniform and our civilian personnel. Many of the projects vetoed were, in fact, included in the original military construction bill for safety reasons. For example, Congress has included an ammunition supply area to be located on McGregor Range at Fort Bliss. The soldiers of Fort Bliss fire live ordnance on McGregor Range which is about 20 miles from the main post. Some of the live ordnance is now stored on the range, however, much is still stored on the main post and must be transported to the range for use by the troops. On post, the ammunition is stored in buildings which do not comply with regulations designed to protect human safety and the environment. To deliver the ammunition to the range, soldiers transport the ordnance over public highways through low income and minority areas of El Paso. Another project included in the bill for safety reasons is a project to renovate launch complex facilities on White Sands Missile Range. Our soldiers and civilians, currently working in this launch complex, are testing, among other munitions, antiballistic missiles to protect our troops in the field and the people of this nation. The 200 men and women who perform these tests, however, are working in unsafe and generally deplorable conditions. They face daily hazards relating to the absence of fire suppression systems and are potentially exposed to the dangerous hanta virus because of rat infestation under the buildings. without the renovations to the launch complex, their health and safety are at risk and activities relating to many of this nation's future offensive and defensive weapon systems will be jeopardized. I urge you to vote yes on this bill to help protect the lives and health of our soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, and civilian personnel.

Mr. REYES

Mr. REYES. Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.

Mr. REYES. Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. REYES

Mr. REYES. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to clause 2 of rule IX, I hereby give notice of my intention to offer a resolution which raises a question of the privileges of the House. The form of the resolution is as follows: Whereas, Loretta Sanchez was issued a certificate of election as the duly elected Member of Congress from the 46 District of California by the Secretary of the State of California and was seated by the U.S. House of Representatives on January 7, 1997; and Whereas A Notice of Contest of Election was filed with the Clerk of the House by Mr. Robert Dornan on December 26, 1996; and Whereas the Task Force on the Contested Election in the 46th District of California met on February 26, 1997 in Washington, D.C. on April 19, 1997 in Orange County, California and October 24, 1997 in Washington, D.C. and Whereas Mr. Dornan's unproven allegations and the actions of the Committee on House Oversight have resulted in an unprecedented attack against Latino voters and created a chilling effect with a message to Latinos that their votes are suspect; Whereas the allegations made by Mr. Robert Dornan have been largely found to be without merit: charges of improper voting from a business, rather than a resident address; underage voting; double voting; and charges of unusually large number of individuals voting from the same address. It was found that voting from the same address included a Marines barracks and the domicile of nuns, that business addresses were legal residences for the individuals, including the zoo keeper of the Santa Ana zoo, that duplicate voting was by different individuals and those accused of underage voting were of age; and Whereas the Committee on House Oversight has issued unprecedented subpoenas to the Immigration and Naturalization Service to compare their records with Orange County voter registration records, the first time in any election in the history of the United States that the INS has been asked by the Congress to verify the citizenship of voters; and Whereas the INS has complied with the Committee's request and, at the Committee's request, has been doing a manual check of its paper files and providing worksheets containing supplemental information on that manual check to the Committee on House Oversight for over five months; and Whereas the Committee on House Oversight, subpoenaed the records seized by the District Attorney of Orange County on February 13, 1997 and has received and reviewed all records pertaining to registration efforts of that group; and Whereas the House Oversight Committee is now pursuing a duplicate and dilatory review of materials already in the Committees possession by the Secretary of State of California; and Whereas the Task Force on the Contested Election in the 46th District of California and the Committee have been reviewing these materials and has all the information it needs regarding who voted in the 46 District and all the information it needs to make judgments concerning those votes; and Whereas the Committee on House Oversight has after over nine months of review and investigation failed to present credible evidence to change the outcome of the election of Congresswoman Sanchez and is presuming never ending and unsubstantiated areas of review; and Whereas, Contestant Robert Dornan has not shown or provided credible evidence that the outcome of the election is other than Congresswoman Sanchez's election to the Congress; and Whereas, the privacy rights of thousands have been trampled with the sharing of INS files with second and third parties, half of which were Latino surnames and one-third Asian surnames; Whereas, the Committee on House Oversight should complete its review of this matter and bring this contest to an end: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That unless the Committee on House Oversight has sooner reported a recommendation for its final disposition, the contest in the 46th District of California is dismissed upon the expiration of November 7, 1997.

Mr. REYES

Mr. REYES. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague, the gentleman from California [Mr. Farr], for yielding. It is a special time for us here as we talk about a dear friend. And for those of us that think that we have to know somebody for a long, long time in order to respect them, in order to love them, we do not. Walter Capps most of us only truly knew for about 10 months or so. I can only say for my part that I feel a great sense of loss for losing him, but most of all, for not having the opportunity to have known him longer or having met him earlier in my life. I can remember clearly the first time that I met Walter Capps. We were at one of our freshmen orientations. He came down and sat down next to me, like he would sit down to talk to others, and he looked at me and he said, ``You are that Border Patrol guy, aren't you?'' Walter Capps was unique. I did not know quite how to respond to him. Except, he spoke to me at length, and later I had the distinct feeling that I had just been through an interview in a very friendly and charming sort of way. Walter Capps was a humble and gentle man. He was patient. He had a sense of humor. Many times in this hall, I wound up sitting next to him and we would trade witty remarks, and he would look at me and smile with a twinkle in his eye and say, ``You know, you are pretty good at this stuff.'' And he was not so bad himself. He always kept a good sense of humor. He had a great sense of family. You could see that. To the people of the 22nd District, I wanted to say thank you for giving us the opportunity to serve with a man of integrity, a man of high morals, a man of principles. In closing, I would like to remember him as he truly was, as a loving husband, a devoted father, a dedicated true public servant and, for me and my wife, a dear friend that we will miss but that we know tonight is looking out for all of us, and most especially for you, Lois, for Lisa, for Laura, and for Todd. This world is a better place because Walter Capps walked among us. He was a giant. He was a friend. And he will be missed.

Mr. REYES

Mr. REYES. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me the time. Mr. Speaker, today is a sad day for those of us that knew Walter Capps, but I am thankful to have had an opportunity to know Walter. I remain thankful for knowing Lois and Lisa, and I look forward to meeting Todd and Laura as well. But I will tell the Members, my dad always used to tell us, when the good Lord brought you to this Earth, he brought you here with simply one thing, and that was a good name. He always told us, never do anything to dishonor that name, because in the final analysis when you leave this Earth, you are going to take nothing except your name and your reputation. Today, although it is a sad day for us, I think Walter Capps has taken with him not only a name that he carried with honor, a name that he took with him with honor, but a gentleman that really has redefined in this day and age what public service is all about. I think it is important for all of us to look at Walter Capps and say, we can be that way. God put him here for a reason. The reason was so we could have a standard. He set that standard for us. He may have been a freshman, but he was a giant in this House. I am very proud to have known him. I am also proud to have had an opportunity last week to have been at a function that he was hosting for some constituents of his from his district. I am so thankful to God that I got an opportunity to say the things that I felt about him while he could still here them on this Earth. Few of us here in this House probably had that opportunity, but I will forever be grateful. In finishing, my wife has a theory that when God needs a new angel, he calls one of us from this Earth. God has a great angel with him now. God bless Lois, and Lisa, Todd, and Laura, because through them, Walter will never die.

Mr. REYES

Mr. REYES. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize my esteemed colleague, Henry B. Gonzalez. He has been an outstanding leader for San Antonio, the Hispanic community, and for all Americans due to his dedicated service to this Congress for 36 years. As the dean of the Texas delegation, Henry B. has been a state leader who has represented our state with great commitment. Congressman Gonzalez has truly been working for the citizens of this country his entire life. Starting a career of public service in 1945, he began working on critical issues for San Antonio. After a number of different community positions, he began a political career in 1953 with a position on the San Antonio city council, graduating to the State senate, and culminating with his long membership in this body beginning in 1961. Throughout his storied career he relentlessly advocated for veterans, small business, labor, housing, economic development, education, the environment, and civil rights. He took difficult positions and never wavered in standing for what was just and right. Never shying away from responsibility, he took the helm of the House Banking Committee in 1989 and for 5 years dealt with the daunting problems of the savings and loan crisis, and other complex banking issues during his tenure. Currently, as the ranking member to the committee he has continued to be a voice of wisdom, bringing his expertise and experience to current issues. He has been a wealth of knowledge for all Members of this House and a source of inspiration for those new and old. As a fellow Texas Congressman, I commend Henry B. for his guidance, numerous accomplishments, and know that his career will be a benchmark for all of us to aspire to reach. Farewell and buena suerte amigo.

Mr. REYES

Mr. REYES. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the gentleman yielding me the time. This morning I rise, regrettably, as a member of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs representing a district containing nearly 60,000 veterans and as a veteran myself, because I think it is a sad day, indeed, when we have to debate such a clear issue as this as we are today. Thousands of our soldiers served honorably in the Persian Gulf and secured freedom for that part of the world. However, this did not come without a high cost. As we are all aware, Persian gulf war veterans came back with undiagnosable conditions suffering from a variety of ailments as a price for their service. Our country has an obligation to these men and women who risked life and health for the safety and security of our country and for freedom throughout the world. One result of the Persian Gulf war was that Iraqi assets were frozen during the course of that conflict. These funds amounted to $1.3 billion. The Foreign Relations Authorization Act, which is currently in conference, establishes the Iraqi Claims Fund which allows claims against these frozen assets. Our veterans should not be placed in the back of the line in making claims against these assets. A provision provided from the Senate would put veterans behind other interested claimants, including tobacco companies and other commercial claimants. While commercial entities certainly must be allowed to file for compensation, our veterans must come first, for they paid the heaviest price. I join today with the gentleman from Texas [Mr. Doggett] and the gentleman from Illinois [Mr. Evans] and others to stand firmly with all veterans of this country in urging the conferees to strike the Senate provision favoring commercial entities over veterans.

Mr. REYES

Mr. REYES. Mr. Speaker, I rise this morning to speak on an issue that is very important to me. For more than 26 years, I was an employee of the Immigration and Naturalization Service. I am proud to say that I worked for the INS and that I helped to enforce our Nation's immigration laws as a Border Patrol agent and subsequently as a Border Patrol chief. I am proud to have worked alongside some of the most dedicated and professional men and women this country has to offer. It is for these men and women that I will introduce the Border Security and Enforcement Act of 1997, a bill which will separate the Border Patrol and other enforcement components from the INS and create a new enforcement agency. The INS has real problems that demand real answers. I believe I can provide those answers in a manner that is beneficial to the INS and the American people who demand more from their Government. The inherent problem with the INS is that they are attempting to serve two masters. For all of its good intentions and willing personnel, the INS is doomed to fail. The problem is that they are tasked with conflicting missions: service versus enforcement. Despite funding increases of more than 52 percent over the past 2 years, the INS has not adequately handled naturalization or enforcement. There are approximately 1.4 million people waiting for the INS to process their naturalization applications, and this backlog, unfortunately, is expected to increase. This situation is unacceptable. It is the duty of our Nation to provide timely service to those seeking admission under the legal immigration system. Our efforts to control the border are also falling short of expectations by the American people. By recent INS estimates, there are more than 5 million illegal immigrants living in the United States. It is the duty of our Nation to effectively control illegal immigration and drug trafficking in order to provide safety and security to the American people. Increasingly the physical presence of Border Patrol agents on the Southwest border to deter illegal crossings has been an integral part of our border control strategy, but there is much more to be done. In addition to placing agents in the field, we must ensure that they are properly equipped to control our borders. It should not be acceptable to have drug smugglers and alien smugglers taking shots at our agents on the border. It should not be acceptable to ask our agents to make do with what resources are available rather than with the resources that they need to do their jobs. We owe it to these officers to provide them the tools that they need to protect our borders and keep our communities safe. Last year alone, there were more than 1.5 million apprehensions of illegal aliens attempting to enter the United States along the Southwest border. As if this is not enough, Border Patrol agents are playing a major and integral part in our Nation's drug control strategy. Drug traffickers attempting to supply the drugs to feed America's $50 billion a year drug habit have become increasingly dangerous and sophisticated. The men and women of the U.S. Border Patrol are outmanned and outgunned. The INS, with its mission overload, is forced to fund programs depending on the priority of the moment despite an unprecedented increase in resources. These priorities vary from border control, interior enforcement, or naturalization. It is time to correct this. We cannot expect our Border Patrol agents to effectively combat illegal immigration and drug trafficking without providing them the means to do so. This newly created agency will be enforcement-oriented and will dedicate the necessary resources to control our borders and protect the lives of our Border Patrol agents. This legislation will also allow the INS to focus its attention and resources on naturalization and adjudication by relieving them of their enforcement duties. The deficiencies inherent in our immigration system will finally be addressed. We must place a priority on controlling our borders and properly serving those seeking admission to our Nation legally. It is time to protect those who serve us every day on the border and throughout our Nation.

Mr. REYES

Mr. REYES. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of this bill, which is highly important to two school districts in El Paso, the Sixteenth District of Texas. This legislation would make only a minor change in the law, but would provide much-needed relief to the Clint and Fabens Independent School Districts, and provide them the power to determine how to use one of their assets much more effectively. Since 1957 the Clint and Fabens Independent School Districts in El Paso have used land conveyed to them by the Federal Government to enhance their agricultural and vocational curriculum. An agricultural farm used mainly by the Clint School District is situated on this land. Before the farm was built, the Federal Government had let the land lie unused for 23 years. By locating an educational farm on this land, the Clint Independent School District made the land useful and an important dimension to their educational programming. For decades we have greatly appreciated the Federal Government's transferring this property to our school districts. Over the years, however, transporting students to the educational farm has grown increasingly problematic. The land is located 2 miles beyond the outermost boundary of the Clint Independent School District, and school officials and teachers must confront daily the difficulties of getting the students to the farm and back safely. Students must travel 2 miles each way on busy streets. This takes time away from learning and places the students in danger during the school day. Also, in a district like Clint, most students do not have vehicles, so teachers and students must work to locate transportation to and from the farm. Because of the distance to the farm, it would make sense for Clint to sell the land and use the proceeds to purchase land closer to the school. As a matter of fact, the school district has already located land directly adjacent to the school on which they could build an agricultural farm for their students. This would allow students simply to walk next door to the educational farm, avoiding costly transportation needs, danger, and increasing the learning time. As the law is written, however, the State Department holds a reversionary interest in the land where the farm is currently located. This reversionary interest requires that ownership of the land revert to the Federal Government if any attempt is made to dispose of the lands. For 40 years Clint and Fabens have been confined by this law, which requires them to either keep the lands, regardless of changes in local circumstances, or surrender it back to the Federal Government and leave their students with even fewer vocational resources and opportunities than are currently available. Mr. Speaker, in pursuing this legislation, I have worked closely with the Department of State, which currently holds the reversionary interest in the land. I have a letter here from Barbara Larkin, Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs, which states that the Department no longer has an interest in this land and does not object to the release of the reversionary interest. I have also worked closely with the Committee on International Relations on this bill, and I want to thank both the gentleman from New York [Mr. Gilman] and the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Hamilton) for their cooperation in this matter, and for bringing my bill to the floor today. Mr. Speaker, I also want to thank their staffs, Ms. Kristen Gilley and Ms. Elana Broitman for their assistance in moving this bill forward. Waiving this reversionary interest is a simple and straightforward way to help the young people in my district in Texas. The language of the legislation is narrowly tailored to ensure that any proceeds from the sale of lands will go toward improving the education of students. The State Department does not want or need the reversionary interest, and it would provide much needed authority to my local school districts. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. REYES

Mr. REYES. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize a man of great talent and rare humility; a man who has challenged young people to excel and reach beyond their dreams; a man whose steady guidance has influenced the lives of many over the course of a long and distinguished career. I am speaking of Don ``The Bear'' Haskins who has been the head basketball coach for the University of Texas at El Paso for more than 36 years. Don's teams have won 691 games, a historic national championship, 7 WAC titles, and made 14 NCAA tournament appearances. In 1987, Don was inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame. Don Haskins ranks ninth among the all-time winningest coaches. But beyond his obvious success on the court, Don Haskins is most proud of the fact that he opened doors for minority players. Don Haskins won the 1966 National Championship over heavily favored Kentucky with an all black starting five, an NCAA first. Later this month, Don Haskins will be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, joining other sports legends--former Princeton coach Pete Carril, former NBA stars Alex English and Bailey Howell, women stars Denise Curry and Joan Crawford and Spain's Antonio Diaz-Miguel. A native of Enid, OK, Don is married to the former Mary Gorman of Bartlesville, OK. The couple has three sons, Brent, Steve, and David, and two grandchildren. I want to congratulate Don not only for being inducted into the Hall of Fame but for the contributions he has made to UTEP and the community of El Paso, and indeed, for the advancement of race relations in this country. He has inspired us all and I am proud to honor him today before my colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives as a man of great integrity, courage, and honor.

Mr. REYES

Mr. REYES. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of this amendment offered by my good friend from Texas. I support his amendment and the comprehensive regional assistance centers or CRAC's because they provide much-needed services to schools throughout this country. They are the most efficient source of information and services available under the Improving America's Schools Act, for local education agencies, tribes, and schools. The CRAC's help districts revamp their curriculum to respond to the needs of disadvantaged, language minority, tribal, and migrant kids. These centers work with State departments of education and with school districts in every State to assist them in important systemic reform and in providing technical assistance in critical areas such as technology in the classroom, special education, parental involvement, and the effective training of our countries' teachers. The region 8 CRAC located in San Antonio supports the schools in my district of El Paso. This CRAC and others provide a one-stop technical assistance shop for educators who receive title I funds. The region 8 CRAC provides important services such as guidance to assist educators make informed decisions regarding the purchase of technology, professional development, curricula, and instructional materials. The region 8 CRAC also provides easy access to accurate information about programs and practices that have proven successful in education children in other high-poverty areas and children from special populations. Schools use the information provided by region 8 CRAC to help title I students learn. I also know that other regional CRAC's have been successfully providing critical assistance to schools in other parts of the country. For example, I know of one school district in Nebraska that has made great strides with the help of the region 7 CRAC located at the University of Oklahoma. The test scores of title I students in the Madison School District of Nebraska have greatly increased as a result of professional development and intervention by the region 7 CRAC. Mr. Rodriguez' amendment takes just a small percentage of the large increase in funding provided for the innovative education program for fiscal year 1998, but the amendment provides a large proportional increase for the CRAC's. With the increase provided under this amendment, CRAC's can continue their quality service to school districts throughout this Nation. The number of disadvantage, language minority, tribal, and migrant kids is increasing every year, and as we enter the 20th century, the number of kids will continue to rise. We must be prepared to meet the needs of these students. Vote for the Rodriguez amendment and help these centers continue the quality assistance that they have been providing for the past several years and continue to help this Nation's children.

Mr. REYES

Mr. REYES. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support and defense of the hard-working men and women of the U.S. Border Patrol. Regrettably, last night on this floor the integrity, professionalism, dedication, and the ability of these fine men and women was attacked. Mr. Speaker, it is unfortunate that some in this institution would resort to these kinds of tactics for the sole purpose of political agendas and ends-justify-the-means mentality that question the outstanding and dangerous work being done by our Border Patrol agents. The men and women that comprise our Border Patrol represent the best that this country has to offer, men and women of every description and background, men and women that come from every State in this country and have dedicated themselves to the dangerous job of Federal law enforcement, and while some in this people's House may not appreciate this, I do, and, Mr. Speaker, I speak from personal experience that spans 26\1/2\ years. I know how tough their job is, I know how dangerous their job is, and I know how important their job is because I have been there, I have seen it and I have done it. Those who attack their integrity, their dedication, and their commitment are not only wrong but undermine the morale of a fine agency. The men and women of the U.S. Border Patrol deserve better, the people of this country expect better, and, frankly, those in this institution that attack them know better. Mr. Speaker, all of us need to support the U.S. Border Patrol.

Mr. REYES

Mr. REYES. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Texas [Mr. Edwards].

Mr. REYES. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, we have had a variety of testimony in these chambers. Sometimes issues get clouded. Sometimes they get clouded in the emotion. Let us ask ourselves, who wants or who supports this proposal? It is not INS and it is not the Border Patrol. It is not the Attorney General. It is not the Department of Defense. It is not the Secretary of Treasury. It is not, certainly, the Hernandez family, who suffered that tragedy in Redford, TX. It is not our border communities, who do not want to live under martial law. We have heard that there are two distinct and different missions. The military mission is combat. We do not want to see our military compromised by doing law enforcement type work that subsequently would jeopardize the security of this country and the security of our troops. The mission of law enforcement is to protect communities. They are trained for this kind of job. Let us keep this in the hands of law enforcement. Mr. Speaker, let us not send troops throughout this country. Let us not invoke martial law in this country simply because Mexico and other countries choose to deploy troops along their borders. We have to ask ourselves, is this proposal fair? Is this proposal fair to the Hernandez family? How fair is this proposal to our own military? How fair is it to the corporal that came that close to being tried for manslaughter? Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote against this proposal.

Mr. REYES. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Florida [Mr. Davis].

Mr. REYES. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Texas [Mr. Rodriguez].

Mr. REYES. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 3 minutes. Mr. Speaker, this was a bad idea when it was first proposed, it was an idea that we really did not get a chance to fully debate. I think tonight I rise in opposition because we are all concerned about illegal entries into this country. We are all concerned about drug trafficking. We are all concerned about the attacks on our various neighborhoods. This is a bad idea from my personal experience because I spent 26\1/2\ years patrolling the border. The gentleman from Ohio makes mention that we have got about 9,000 Border Patrol agents patrolling our borders. I should remind my colleagues that we have a plan that will increase the number of Border Patrol agents by 1,000 agents per year until 2001, at which time we will reevaluate the effectiveness of that increase. I think tonight it is important that my colleagues realize that this proposal does not restrict the utilization of the military to our southern border. I think it is important that if you are one of my colleagues from Idaho, you should worry about this proposal. If you represent Minnesota, you should also worry. If you represent the State of New York, you should be concerned. If you are a Representative from the West Coast or from the coast of Florida, you should be concerned about what this kind of proposal might do to our neighborhoods. It is important that we keep things in perspective and that we understand that the only rational, reasonable way that we are going to combat illegal immigration, drug trafficking, and all of the associated concerns that we have about our international borders is to hire additional professional bilingual agents. It is very important that we keep in context the fact that on our southern border, while we may have a serious problem today, that problem may shift to the Canadian border tomorrow. That problem may manifest itself on the West Coast or the East Coast next year or 2 years from now. We are opening up a situation where Representatives from throughout this country that represent districts contiguous to international boundaries will be in a position to have to answer to the people that elect them why we are deploying soldiers to do a job that should be done by professional law enforcement officers. We are also jeopardizing with this proposal the very soldiers that we are deploying to protect us under this type of solution. It is important that we recognize that there is a serious problem that needs a rational decision. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. REYES. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Texas, Mr. Bonilla.

Mr. REYES. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to my colleague, the gentleman from Texas [Mr. Hinojosa]. (Mr. HINOJOSA asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. REYES. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to my colleague, the gentleman from California [Mr. Becerra]. (Mr. BECERRA asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. REYES. Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. REYES. Mr. Speaker, I have a parliamentary inquiry.