About Representative Reyes Main Page
Congressman Silvestre Reyes
Biography
Proudly representing the people of the 16th District of Texas
Congressman Silvestre Reyes was first elected to the United States Congress in 1996, becoming the first Hispanic to represent the people of the 16th District of Texas. On January 6, 2009, Congressman Silvestre Reyes, was sworn into the 111th Congress by Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, for a seventh consecutive term in the United States House of Representatives.
Congressman Reyes serves as the Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, the primary committee in the U.S. House of Representatives charged with the oversight of the United States Intelligence Community, including the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Central Intelligence Agency, the Defense Intelligence Agency, and other executive branch departments and agencies.
A lifelong public servant
Reyes has devoted his life to public service. He first served his country in the United States Army in Vietnam from 1966 - 1968, and served as a helicopter crew chief. In 1969, he began his career with the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), now known as Customs and Border Protection (CBP), in the U.S. Border Patrol.
After serving as an agent, immigration inspector, and instructor at the Border Patrol Academy, he was promoted in to Assistant Regional Commissioner in Dallas, Texas, where he served for five years and was responsible for administering a budget exceeding $100 million in 13 states. In 1984, Reyes was named Sector Chief of the U.S. Border Patrol, and managed operations in McAllen and El Paso, Texas from 1984 to 1995.
Reyes quickly became known as one of our government's strongest and most effective innovators in border security. In McAllen and El Paso, Reyes initiated forward-thinking programs such as “Operation Hold the Line,” the Border Patrol's Canine Program, and the Border Patrol's National Anti-Drug School Education Program. “Hold the Line” continues as part of the Department of Homeland Security's Bureau of Customs and Border Protection strategy for the entire Southwest border and earned Reyes recognition from the White House, the United States Congress, the Department of Justice, and others.
Known as "Silver" to his friends, Reyes retired in December 1995 after 26 ½ years with the Border Patrol and in was elected the following year to represent the people of the 16th District of Texas in the United States House of Representatives.
Reyes arrived in Washington in 1997 with a plan to provide leadership on border issues, improve and enhance education in El Paso, protect veterans' benefits, and support our nation’s defense by enhancing El Paso’s regional military facilities -- Fort Bliss, White Sands Missile Range and Holloman Air Force Base.
A respected leader on national security, intelligence, and border issues in Congress
In December 2006, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi appointed Reyes as the Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, a committee on which Reyes has served since 2001. The committee drafts the laws that govern, authorize the funding for, and provide Congressional oversight of the 16 agencies that comprise the U.S. Intelligence Community, which includes components of the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security, Justice, State and Energy.
With his extensive experience and expertise in border security, Reyes is an influential leader on issues involving immigration and border security. Throughout his tenure in Congress, he has called for a greater discussion on border issues. Reyes was instrumental in developing the annual U.S.-Mexico Border Issues Conference in Washington, DC, as well as the annual Border Security Conference at the University of Texas at El Paso, which explores policy and technological initiatives to enhance our national security.
As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, Reyes has traveled numerous times to meet with soldiers serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom, and around the world. He undertakes these trips to gain a first-hand perspective of the situation on the ground, improve morale and ensure that our servicemen and women have the equipment they need to keep them safe. Reyes has also traveled with the Armed Services Committee to North Korea to meet with high-ranking North Korean officials to encourage the abandonment of their nuclear weapons programs, and to Libya to inspect progress following Libyan leader Gaddafi’s pledge to rid his country of weapons of mass destruction.
Reyes is a past Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC). He founded the House Diversity and Innovation Caucus and co-founded the Congressional USO Caucus, and serves on a variety of other caucuses and coalitions. In addition, he is a member of the U.S.-Mexico Interparliamentary Group.
Reyes was born and raised in Canutillo, Texas, just five miles outside the El Paso city limits. Reyes holds an Associates Degree in Criminal Justice from El Paso Community College and attended the University of Texas at Austin and El Paso. He is married to Carolina Gaytan Reyes, and they have three children: Monica, Rebecca and Silvestre, Jr. He is also the proud grandfather of Amelia, Mateo Silvestre, Julian, and Orlando.
Committee Assignments
House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, Chairman
House Armed Services Committee, Senior Member
Subcommittee on Strategic Forces
Subcommittee on Readiness
Subcommittee on Air and Land Forces
House Veterans Affairs Committee (on leave of absence to serve as Chairman of Intelligence Committee)
Selected awards presented to Congressman Reyes during his tenure in Congress
110th Congress
• The National GEM Consortium "Congressional Leadership Award" (2008)
• Association of the United States Army (AUSA) "Outstanding Legislator Award" (2008)
• American Farm Bureau Federation "Friend of Farm Bureau Award" (2008)
• Society of Mexican-American Engineers and Scientists "MAES Politico Award" (2008)
•Vietnam Veterans of America Texas State Council “Legislator of the Year Award” (2007)
•U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce “President’s Lifetime Achievement Award” (2007)
109th Congress
•El Paso Inc. newspaper’s “El Pasoan of the Year Award” (2006)
•U.S.-Mexico Chamber of Commerce “Good Neighbor Award” for his leadership, support, and contributions to the Annual U.S.-Mexico Border Issues Conference. (2006)
•American GI Forum of the United States “National Commander’s Medal” (2006)
•Rio Grande Council of Governments “Elected Official of the Year Award” (2005)
•International Relief and Development, Inc’s award for his work in the relief and reconstruction efforts on behalf of tsunami victims in Indonesia. IRD traveled with Congressman Reyes to Indonesia in January 2005 to distribute supplies from El Paso and other communities to tsunami survivors. (2005)
•The Century Council’s Congressional Award for his work launching a bilingual public awareness campaign designed to prevent underage drinking and discourage adults from providing alcohol to minors. (2005)
•Air Force Sergeants Association’s L. Mendel Rivers Award of Legislative Excellence, which is presented annually to a member of the House or Senate who has worked to protect the quality of the lives of current and past military enlisted servicemembers. (2005)
108th Congress
•The Alliance for Public Technology’s “Susan G. Hadden Pioneer Award” for Congressman Reyes’s pioneering efforts in telecommunications and consumer access. (2003)
107th Congress
•National Parks Conservation Association’s National Congressional Award. (2002)
•Pan American Health Organization’s (PAHO) “Border Health Hero Award,” which was awarded during PAHO’s centennial celebration. (2002)
•United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce’s (USHCC) “Government Business Advocate of the Year Award” (Congressman Reyes received two awards - regional and national). (2002)
•Texas Association of Mexican American Chambers of Commerce’s (TAMACC) “Government Hispanic Business Advocate of the Year Award” (2002)
•League of United Latin American Citizens’ (LULAC) “President’s Award” (2002)
•United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce’s (USHCC) “Chairman’s Award” (2002)
•National Association of Community Health Center’s “Distinguished Community Health Defender Award” (2002)
•Border Environmental Cooperation Commission’s (BECC) award honoring Congressman Reyes for his work addressing the environmental infrastructure needs of the border region. (2001)
106th Congress
•Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) “Outstanding Leadership Award” (2000)
105th Congress
•Mexican American Bar Association’s “Presidential Award for Outstanding Service” (also known as their “Legislator of the Year Award”) (1998)
•El Paso Hispanic Chamber of Commerce’s “Moving Forward Award” (1997)
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