Reyes participates in field hearing on proposed border fence
4/28/2008
Washington, D.C.
News
Congressman Silvestre Reyes participated in a joint field hearing today to examine the proposed border fence.
Today, Congressman Silvestre Reyes, D-El Paso, participated in a joint field hearing convened by the House Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands and the Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, and Oceans. The hearing, entitled "Walls and Waivers: Expedited Construction of the Southern Border Wall and the Collateral Impacts on Communities and the Environment," examined the social and environmental implications of the proposed 700-mile fence to be built by the Department of Homeland Security along the U.S.-Mexico border.
"As I have said before, it is important that officials at the Department of Homeland Security fully understand the social, environmental, and economic impacts that the proposed border fence would have on the border region. From the testimony we heard today, it is clear that DHS is not communicating with the border communities that would be most adversely affected by this project."
The House committees heard from several witnesses, including local government leaders, private land owners, Border Patrol agents, and private citizens. The field hearing was held at the University of Texas at Brownsville.
Congressman Reyes’ prepared remarks for the joint field hearing of the House Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands and the Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, and Oceans:
"Good morning. I want to begin by thanking Chairman Raúl Grijalva and Chairwoman Madeleine Bordallo for convening this important hearing. I also want to thank my good friend and colleague who represents the city of Brownsville, Congressman Solomon Ortiz.
"Thank you for the opportunity to join you. Today’s hearing is extremely important to those of us who represent border communities, and the issues we will discuss are especially important to the residents of these communities who will suffer the consequences of political games played by a Republican-led Congress.
"Before coming to Congress, I served for 26 ½ years as a Border Patrol agent, thirteen of which as a Sector Chief, first in McAllen, Texas and later in El Paso. On a daily basis, I was forced to deal with the realities of border enforcement and illegal immigration. Our mission was to protect America’s 6,000 miles of international land border and 2,000 miles of coastal waterways and to detect and prevent people from entering the United States illegally.
"During the course of my career, I patrolled the rough terrain of the United States-Mexico border region, supervised thousands of hard-working, dedicated Border Patrol agents, and did everything within my power to strengthen our borders and reduce illegal immigration. It was a responsibility that my Border Patrol colleagues and I took very seriously.
"Nobody understands America’s borders or has a greater interest in securing our nation’s borders than those of us who live and work along them every day. That is why since coming to Congress, I have lobbied my colleagues for greater resources for border security, including additional Border Patrol agents, equipment, and technology.
"As a Border Patrol chief, I supported strategic placement of fencing along the border to assist with operational control. However, I do not support fencing along the entire border or even 370 miles for that matter. I voted against the Secure Fence Act of 2006, which was a perfect example of political forces masquerading as security measures during Republican control of Congress.
"I have always been a vocal advocate for local community concerns which must be taken into account before the Department of Homeland Security begins construction on new border fencing. On a number of occasions, I have arranged Congressional briefings to ensure other Members of Congress received the proper information regarding the fence. Recently, however, the concerns of the border have been overlooked and often disregarded.
"When border communities raised legitimate concerns about an issue of great local importance a few months ago, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Chertoff remarked that border communities ought to "grow up." This "grow up" comment was a disappointing message which suggests a lack of understanding of the dynamic nature of border communities. Most recently, the Secretary’s blatant disregard of community concerns was once again demonstrated by his use of a waiver authority to set aside more than 30 laws in order to construct the barrier.
"I recently joined 13 of my colleagues in submitting an amicus brief asking the Supreme Court to hear an appeal filed by the Sierra Club and the Defenders of the Wildlife. I firmly believe that the waiver authority was intended to be used as a last resort. Instead, the Department has taken the easy way out and shirked its responsibility to faithfully execute the laws of the land.
"With that, thank you again for allowing me to participate today. I look forward to hearing from the other Members of the panel and our witnesses."
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