Tom Tancredo

Mr. TANCREDO

Mr. TANCREDO. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this time to honor a school in my district for their academic excellence in being named a Blue Ribbon School. The schools are selected based on one of two criteria: schools with at least 40 percent of their students from disadvantaged backgrounds that dramatically improve student performance to high levels on state tests; or schools whose students regardless of background, achieve in the top 10 percent of their state on state tests or in the top 10 percent of the Nation on nationally-normed tests. To receive this recognition, Willow Creek Elementary School has had in each of the past three years over 90 percent of its' students perform at ``Proficient'' or ``Advanced'' levels in math and reading. Willow Creek also received this prestigious honor in 1999. Mr. Speaker, it is my distinct pleasure to honor the students of Willow Creek Elementary School as recipients of the No Child Left Behind--Blue Ribbon Schools Award.

Mr. TANCREDO

Mr. TANCREDO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to one of my constituents, Mr. Marcus Morabito of Littleton, CO. Mr. Morabito has been accepted to the People to People World Leadership Forum here in our Nation's Capitol. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the People to People program founded by President Eisenhower in 1956. Mr. Morabito has displayed academic excellence, community involvement and leadership potential. All students chosen for the program have been identified and nominated by educators. Mr. Speaker, I would like to join in paying tribute to Marcus Morabito, and wish him the best in all his future endeavors.

Mr. TANCREDO

Mr. TANCREDO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to one of my constituents, Mr. Andrew Watson of Larkspur, Colorado. Mr. Watson has been accepted to the People to People World Leadership Forum here in our nation's Capitol. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the People to People program founded by President Eisenhower in 1956. Mr. Watson has displayed academic excellence, community involvement and leadership potential. All students chosen for the program have been identified and nominated by educators. Mr. Speaker, I would like to join in paying tribute to Andrew Watson, and wish him the best in all his future endeavors.

Mr. TANCREDO

Mr. TANCREDO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to one of my constituents, Ms. Laura Londono of Highlands Ranch, Colorado. Ms. Londono has been accepted to the People to People World Leadership Forum here in our Nation's Capital. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the People to People program founded by President Eisenhower in 1956. Ms. Londono has displayed academic excellence, community involvement and leadership potential. All students chosen for the program have been identified and nominated by educators. Mr. Speaker, I would like to join in paying tribute to Laura Londono, and wish her the best in all her future endeavors.

Mr. TANCREDO

Mr. TANCREDO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to one of my constituents, Mr. Christopher Tantillo of Highlands Ranch, Colorado. Mr. Tantillo has been accepted to the People to People World Leadership Forum here in our Nation's Capitol. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the People to People program founded by President Eisenhower in 1956. Mr. Tantillo has displayed academic excellence, community involvement and leadership potential. All students chosen for the program have been identified and nominated by educators. Mr. Speaker, I would like to join in paying tribute to Christopher Tantillo, and wish him the best in all his future endeavors.

Mr. TANCREDO

Mr. TANCREDO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to one of my constituents, Ms. Danielle Sheehan of Littleton, Colorado. Ms. Sheehan has been accepted to the People to People World Leadership Forum here in our Nation's Capitol. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the People to People program founded by President Eisenhower in 1956. Ms. Sheehan has displayed academic excellence, community involvement and leadership potential. All students chosen for the program have been identified and nominated by educators. Mr. Speaker, I would like to join in paying tribute to Danielle Sheehan, and wish her the best in all her future endeavors.

Mr. TANCREDO

Mr. TANCREDO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to one of my constituents, Mr. Maxwell Bain of Littleton, Colorado. Mr. Bain has been accepted to the People to People World Leadership Forum here in our nation's Capitol. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the People to People program founded by President Eisenhower in 1956. Mr. Bain has displayed academic excellence, community involvement and leadership potential. All students chosen for the program have been identified and nominated by educators. Mr. Speaker, I would like to join in paying tribute to Maxwell Bain, and wish him the best in all his future endeavors.

Mr. TANCREDO

Mr. TANCREDO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to one of my constituents, Mr. Michael Tantillo of Highlands Ranch, Colorado. Mr. Tantillo has been accepted to the People to People World Leadership Forum here in our Nation's Capitol. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the People to People program founded by President Eisenhower in 1956. Mr. Tantillo has displayed academic excellence, community involvement and leadership potential. All students chosen for the program have been identified and nominated by educators. Mr. Speaker, I would like to join in paying tribute to Michael Tantillo, and wish him the best in all his future endeavors.

Mr. TANCREDO

Mr. TANCREDO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to one of my constituents, Ms. Keliihoalani Mitchell of Aurora, CO. Ms. Mitchell has been accepted to the People to People World Leadership Forum here in our Nation's Capitol. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the People to People program founded by President Eisenhower in 1956. Ms. Mitchell has displayed academic excellence, community involvement and leadership potential. All students chosen for the program have been identified and nominated by educators. Mr. Speaker, I would like to join in paying tribute to Keliihoalani Mitchell, and wish her the best in all her future endeavors.

Mr. TANCREDO

Mr. TANCREDO. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this time to recognize the achievement of a financial and insurance company in my district. InsureMe of Englewood, Colorado was recognized as one of the ``Best Small & Medium Companies to Work for in America'' by the Society for Human Resource Management. This award was given to InsureMe for their open communication between senior managers and company employees, generous salaries and benefits, and their dedication to high profits and low turnover. I would also like to add that the employees of InsureMe volunteer monthly to serve dinner to the homeless and some have even traveled to Ghana to build an orphanage. InsureMe's commitment to their community and successful business is clear. Mr. Speaker, it is my distinct pleasure to honor InsureMe of Englewood and their achievements here today, and wish them the best in the future.

Mr. TANCREDO

Mr. TANCREDO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the achievements of retiring Littleton Police Chief Gary Maas. Chief Maas, a constituent of mine, was able to reorganize and improve the Littleton Police Department since the beginning of his term in 1996. During his tenure, Chief Maas focused on developing a community outreach program to provide services to neighborhoods across divisional lines. Along with this success, Maas oversaw the initiation of community surveys in order to determine the priorities of the citizens. A caring and committed individual, Mr. Maas restored confidence and strength in the Littleton Police Department through his implementation of educational requirements on entry level positions and his work with the union to establish the Master Police Officer program. Mr. Speaker, it is my distinct pleasure to honor Mr. Gary Maas and his achievements here today, and wish him all the best in his retirement.

Mr. TANCREDO

Mr. TANCREDO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to one of my constituents, Ms. Kelsey Martinez of Centennial, Colorado. Ms. Martinez has been accepted to the People to People World Leadership Forum here in our Nation's Capital. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the People to People program founded by President Eisenhower in 1956. Ms. Martinez has displayed academic excellence, community involvement and leadership potential. All students chosen for the program have been identified and nominated by educators. Mr. Speaker, I would like to join in paying tribute to Kelsey Martinez, and wish her the best in all her future endeavors.

Mr. TANCREDO

Mr. TANCREDO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a fallen policeman from Colorado, Mike Thomas. This week thousands of Coloradans paid their respects to Detective Thomas, who was killed earlier this month while waiting at a stoplight. According to reports, officers came from as far away as Canada to pay their respects. Mr. Thomas was a longtime dedicated public servant. He spent more than two decades serving the community as a policeman, and like his father Delbert, was an Air Force veteran. He will be sorely missed. I was particularly moved by an account I read in The Denver Post about Mr. Thomas recounted by police Captain Jerry Hinkle. Hinkle told those gathered at the funeral about a card the department had received from a well-wisher named ``George'' after news of Mike Thomas' tragic death. In the card, George wrote about how when he was a teenage gang member whose future prospects looked bleak, he encountered Mr. Thomas. Thomas pulled up to the boy in his squad car, Hinkle said, and told him to get in. The two talked, and today George is the owner of a successful security company. Mr. Speaker, all Coloradans owe a great debt of gratitude to Mike Thomas, and all of the men and women of law enforcement who risk their lives each day to guarantee our safety. He will be missed by all who knew and loved him.

Mr. TANCREDO

Mr. TANCREDO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to one of my constituents, Mr. Jacob Siegert of Littleton, CO. Mr. Siegert has been accepted to the People to People World Leadership Forum here in our Nation's Capitol. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the People to People program founded by President Eisenhower in 1956. Mr. Siegert has displayed academic excellence, community involvement and leadership potential. All students chosen for the program have been identified and nominated by educators. Mr. Speaker, I would like to join in paying tribute to Jacob Siegert, and wish him the best in all his future endeavors.

Mr. TANCREDO

Mr. TANCREDO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to one of my constituents, Ms. Molly Lonneman of Littleton, CO. Ms. Lonneman has been accepted to the People to People World Leadership Forum here in our Nation's capital. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the People to People program founded by President Eisenhower in 1956. Ms. Lonneman has displayed academic excellence, community involvement and leadership potential. All students chosen for the program have been identified and nominated by educators. Mr. Speaker, I would like to join in paying tribute to Molly Lonneman, and wish her the best in all her future endeavors.

Mr. TANCREDO

Mr. TANCREDO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to one of my constituents, Ms. Sydney Streicher of Centennial, CO. Ms. Streicher has been accepted to the People to People World Leadership Forum here in our Nation's Capitol. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the People to People program founded by President Eisenhower in 1956. Ms. Streicher has displayed academic excellence, community involvement and leadership potential. All students chosen for the program have been identified and nominated by educators. Mr. Speaker, I would like to join in paying tribute to Ms. Streicher, and wish her the best in all her future endeavors.

Mr. TANCREDO

Mr. TANCREDO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to one of my constituents, Ms. Hannah March of Littleton, Colorado. Ms. March has been accepted to the People to People World Leadership Forum here in our Nation's Capital. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the People to People program founded by President Eisenhower in 1956. Ms. March has displayed academic excellence, community involvement, and leadership potential. All students chosen for the program have been identified and nominated by educators. Mr. Speaker, I would like to join in paying tribute to Hannah March, and wish her the best in all her future endeavors.

Mr. TANCREDO

Mr. TANCREDO. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. We have used a lot of analogies here to describe what is happening, and, of course, I have one, too, and that is that we are looking at a patient that is the United States of America, and we are hemorrhaging at our borders. When that occurs, you first do something to stop the hemorrhaging. You may want to think about how you may treat the patient subsequent to that, but you stop the hemorrhaging, and this is what we are trying to do on the border. That is the first way of addressing this horrible problem that we have got. It is important for us to do this and important for us to keep reminding the American people that there are things that can be done, that should be done by the Federal Government in order to try and protect them and do what we should be doing to live up to our responsibilities under the Constitution. One of the bills today is of particular interest to me. It is the State and Local Law Enforcement Cooperation Act, and it talks about what we need to do and the authority of the State and local law enforcement to voluntarily investigate, identify, apprehend, arrest, detain, and transfer to Federal custody aliens in the U.S. in order to assist in the enforcement of the immigration laws. Let me tell you how important this. Just yesterday it was reported in Colorado, another event of one of hundreds that are around the country of a similar nature, where someone who was in the country illegally comes in contact with the local police. In this case, he was driving a car that had a warrant out for it across the country. He was driving without a license. He was driving with a forged identifier, something that was observable to the policeman, who said he saw that the picture had been cut out. That happened in early April. He was taken in and let go. No contact was made with ICE whatsoever. Just a few days ago he dragged another person, we are not even sure who this other person is because there is not much left of the body, but dragged her behind a truck until she was dismembered. Now, if the everybody had done their job there, including the Federal Government, and the job had been done at the local level, this gentleman would have been off of the streets. If it was done at the Federal level, he would have never gotten into the country. If the local police had been able to do their job, except for their sanctuary city provisions that stop them, he would have been off the streets in April and would not have been able to commit this horrible crime. But all these things are happening. They happen on a daily basis. We need to engage the local communities in this effort to help us, and the Federal Government must take on the responsibility here to secure our borders. It is our true and one single responsibility. I thank the gentleman for yielding the time.

Mr. TANCREDO

Mr. TANCREDO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to one of my constituents, Ms. Jordan Pittman of Littleton, Colorado. Ms. Pittman has been accepted to the People to People World Leadership Forum here in our Nation's Capital. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the People to People program founded by President Eisenhower in 1956. Ms. Pittman has displayed academic excellence, community involvement and leadership potential. All students chosen for the program have been identified and nominated by educators. Mr. Speaker, I would like to join in paying tribute to Jordan Pittman, and wish her the best in all her future endeavors.

Mr. TANCREDO

Mr. TANCREDO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to one of my constituents, Ms. Shelby Ingle of Centennial, Colorado. Ms. Ingle has been accepted to the People to People World Leadership Forum here in our Nation's Capital. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the People to People program founded by President Eisenhower in 1956. Ms. Ingle has displayed academic excellence, community involvement and leadership potential. All students chosen for the program have been identified and nominated by educators. Mr. Speaker, I would like to join in paying tribute to Shelby Ingle, and wish her the best in all her future endeavors.

Mr. TANCREDO

Mr. TANCREDO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to one of my constituents, Ms. Jordan Applehans of Parker, Colorado. Ms. Applehans has been accepted to the People to People World Leadership Forum here in our Nation's Capital. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the People to People program founded by President Eisenhower in 1956. Ms. Applehans has displayed academic excellence, community involvement and leadership potential. All students chosen for the program have been identified and nominated by educators. Mr. Speaker, I would like to join in paying tribute to Jordan Applehans, and wish her the best in all her future endeavors.

Mr. TANCREDO

Mr. TANCREDO. Mr. Speaker, it is interesting to hear some of the folks on the other side of the aisle, especially Members from Arizona and New Mexico, who come here and say this is not a good idea, we shouldn't be moving ahead with it and it won't solve any problems. It is their States, it is the Governor of the State of Arizona and the Governor of the State of New Mexico who have declared states of emergency in those two States. Something has to be done; that is what they are telling us. These are Democrat Governors in States where they have enormous problems, and they are saying we have an emergency. This is one way to try to address it. It is just one, but it is one way to do so. It is an important step that we take. In terms of effectiveness, we have a model. On our southern border today, we have a chunk of fence about 14 miles long in the San Diego area, and it has worked. It has worked well. It is hard to find anyone on either side of the border at that location that wants that fence taken down because it has improved life. This is a good step to take, and I commend my colleagues for bringing it forward.

Mr. TANCREDO

Mr. TANCREDO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to one of my constituents, Mr. Seth Jones of Lone Tree, Colorado. Mr. Jones has been accepted to the People to People World Leadership Forum here in our Nation's Capitol. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the People to People program founded by President Eisenhower in 1956. Mr. Jones has displayed academic excellence, community involvement, and leadership potential. All students chosen for the program have been identified and nominated by educators. Mr. Speaker, I would like to join in paying tribute to Seth Jones, and wish him the best in all his future endeavors.

Mr. TANCREDO

Mr. TANCREDO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to one of my constituents, Ms. Tori Lange of Littleton, Colorado. Ms. Lange has been accepted to the People to People World Leadership Forum here in our nation's Capitol. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the People to People program founded by President Eisenhower in 1956. Ms. Lange has displayed academic excellence, community involvement and leadership potential. All students chosen for the program have been identified and nominated by educators. Mr. Speaker, I would like to join in paying tribute to Tori Lange, and wish her the best in all her future endeavors.

Mr. TANCREDO

Mr. TANCREDO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the dedicated and inspiring career of Dr. Randolph Robinson. Dr. Robinson, along with his wife, Ginger, founded Face the Challenge. This charitable organization has provided thousands of free surgeries to the world's poorest children in order to correct facial deformities. Dr. Robinson has used his medical knowledge and surgical skills to better the lives of many impoverished people around the world. Face the Challenge has traveled to many countries in South America, Eastern Europe and Asia with the goal of treating the indigent and most affected. Dr. Robinson, who practices in Lone Tree, Colorado, has performed 836 free facial surgeries since 1993. His selfless contributions should be commended and his dedication to public service deserves our highest regard. I wish to thank Dr. Robinson for his tireless efforts to bring medical advances to the world's poor.