Brian A. Terry Memorial Act

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I rise in strong support of H.R. 2668, the Brian A. Terry Memorial Act, which honors the life and sacrifice of U.S. Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry. I'm pleased to be an original cosponsor of this measure, and I applaud Mr. Issa for his leadership on this.

One year ago this Wednesday, on December 14, 2010, as on so many previous nights, Agent Terry and his team were out patrolling the border areas of Arizona and defending this country. Tragically, that night he died in the line of duty from injuries sustained in a gun fight. He died in the line of duty upholding his oath to defend our country. He was only 40 years old and was days away from taking a trip back home to Michigan for the Christmas holiday.

Even before he joined the United States Customs and Border Protection as a Border Patrol agent, Agent Terry displayed an exemplary record of public service. He joined the United States Marine Corps upon his graduation from high school and served a tour of duty in Iraq. He was honorably discharged in 1994.

Upon completing his military service, he returned home to Michigan and completed a bachelor of science degree in criminal justice. He then served as a police officer in Ecorse and Lincoln Park, Michigan. In 2007, he joined the United States Customs and Border Protection and became a member of its elite Border Patrol Tactical Unit. This unit responds to some of the most dangerous threats against our Nation's homeland, which perfectly suited Agent Terry's courage, patriotism, and dedication to his country. Agent Terry was stationed at the Nogales Border Patrol Station near Tucson, Arizona, which is the largest border patrol station in the entire country.

Agent Terry took great pride in serving and defending his country. He worked tirelessly day after day confronting imminent and immediate danger on the southwest border.

Despite the dangerous nature of his work, those who knew him described him as ``a strong, competitive, handsome, courageous, funny, and incredibly patriotic American.'' He was also proud to serve as a Federal law enforcement agent.

I have met Agent Terry's family, and I support the ongoing efforts to seek answers for them. Others at the FBI and the U.S. Attorney's Office are working to bring his killers to justice.

I join with the chairman of the Oversight Committee, Chairman Issa, in urging that the House adopt H.R. 2668, the Brian A. Terry Memorial Act,

which recognizes Agent Terry's life and service and names in his honor a Border Patrol station in Bisbee, Arizona.

With that, I reserve the balance of my time.

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, we have no further speakers.

I will say that it is so important that we pause for a moment to honor people like Officer Terry.

So often our officers, various officers throughout the Federal system, go out expecting to come home to their families and unfortunately do not come home. It is so very, very sad. We spent quite a bit of time, Mr. Issa and I, talking to the family and trying to console them. But I think the thing they want more than anything else right now is answers. I again join him in a bipartisan way with our entire committee to find those answers because I think it is so very, very important. As I've said many times, I shall not rest until we do find those answers.

With that, Mr. Speaker, I urge all of our Members to vote for this historic piece of legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

The ranking member said a great deal of what I was going to say and he said it well. Brian Terry was, in fact, a special human being who dedicated his life to public service, first in the United States Marine Corps, then in local law enforcement, then at the Border Patrol. His only ambition was to be a Federal law enforcement servant.

He left behind a family asking a great many questions because just 10 days before Christmas a year ago, he was gunned down. In fact, we still don't have all of the answers. The ranking member, Mr. Cummings, and I continue to look for those answers. We learned only last week that there is an indictment in connection with his killing. We look forward to the Terry family having full and complete resolution of all the details around his death.

But for all the ambiguity that often happens in the heat of a battle that happens in law enforcement, there's no question about who Brian Terry was, what a special human being he was and why for only the second time in Border Patrol history will a facility be named for one of their fallen heroes. It was decades after the last fallen heroes before a facility not even envisioned at the time was named for them.

In this case we believe this is appropriate to do now. This was some one who knew the risk, and he went willingly into the highest risk down on our border. Here in Congress we often have a lively debate about the border and border enforcement. Brian Terry didn't debate border enforcement. He knew his job was to see that no one got past the border that wasn't supposed to.

Whether it was human traffickers, whether it was drug smugglers, whether they had high-powered rifles, or they were simply crossing the border illegally, he knew his job was to see that our borders were respected, and he did so out of a sense of duty and patriotism.

This act is hugely bipartisan at a time in which Congress is not so bipartisan. It is so because we know that the men and women of the Border Patrol, the men and women who support and protect one of the most basic aspects of national sovereignty, do so without looking at politics. They don't make the laws. They don't decide who gets to come to our country or not. They enforce them, and they enforce them in a way that we all can respect.

Our committee has an obligation to look into and to get the details of the unnecessary loss of his life. But I want to thank today Chairman Mica and Mr. Denham and certainly Ranking Member Rahall for moving this historic piece of legislation, one that brings an honor only once before ever given to a Border Patrol and Customs agent, to this one at the very facility where, if he were still alive, he would have returned after that Christmas back home in Michigan to his friends, his colleagues, the people whose flank he protected. He didn't get that opportunity to go home for Christmas. He didn't get to serve out his years with his friends and colleagues; and for that the family has our undying gratitude for his sacrifice and our apologies and our condolences for the loss.

Today, we're doing one of the few things we can do, and that is to honor on the House floor a fallen hero, a man who didn't fall in Iraq, but did fall on the Arizona border.

With that, I want to thank Mr. Denham for bringing this here in a timely fashion. I want to thank the Speaker for ensuring that this becomes law.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2668) to designate the station of the United States Border Patrol located at 2136 South Naco Highway in Bisbee, Arizona, as the ``Brian A. Terry Border Patrol Station''.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 2668.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

H.R. 2668 would designate the station of the United States Border Patrol located at 2136 South Naco Highway in Bisbee, Arizona, as the Brian A. Terry Border Patrol Station. I am pleased to coauthor H.R. 2668, and I want to thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Issa) for introducing this bipartisan legislation.

The Brian A. Terry Memorial Act would honor Border Patrol Agent Brian A. Terry by designating the station of the United States Border Patrol located at 2136 South Naco Highway in Bisbee, Arizona, as the Brian A. Terry Border Patrol Station.

Born in Flat Rock, Michigan, Agent Terry proudly served his country with the United States Marine Corps and continued his service as a police officer in Michigan prior to joining the United States Border Patrol. Agent Terry became a member of the 699th Session of the Border Patrol Academy, assigned to the Naco Border Patrol Station within the Tucson, Arizona, sector.

On December 14, 2010, Border Patrol Agent Brian A. Terry was conducting a Border Patrol Tactical Unit operation in the area of Peck Well. At 11:15, near Rio Rico, Arizona, and about 15 miles north of Nogales, Arizona, Agent Terry and his team spotted a group of individuals approaching their position.

Investigators later found that the suspects were preying on illegal immigrants with the intent to rob them. Shortly thereafter, an encounter ensued and gunfire was exchanged that left Agent Terry mortally wounded by a bullet fired by a suspect's AK-47. Agent Terry passed away the following day.

This legislation honors the ultimate sacrifice of Agent Terry while he bravely protected our Nation's borders. I support passage of this legislation and urge my colleagues to do the same.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 10 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Issa).

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

I am pleased that the Senate will pass the Brian Terry Memorial Act today, and that it has the overwhelming support of my colleagues.

Agent Terry, a native of Flat Rock, MI, dedicated his life to public service and the protection of our country and its citizens. He served honorably in the U.S. Marine Corps and continued his service as a police officer with the cities of Ecorse and Lincoln Park in Michigan prior to joining the U.S. Border Patrol. He was a member of the 699th Session of the Border Patrol Academy assigned to the Naco Border Patrol Station within the Tucson Sector. Tragically, in December 2010, while on patrol 14 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border, Agent Terry was shot and killed during an armed confrontation with suspected criminals.

Agent Terry gave everything in the defense of our country. As we sit here today, thousands of agents are putting their lives on the line to secure our borders and protect our Nation. Agent Terry exemplified that courage and heroism, and we honor him today with this legislation that will designate the station of the U.S. Border Patrol located at 2136 South Naco Highway in Bisbee, AZ, as the Brian A. Terry Border Patrol Station.

I thank my colleagues for their support of this worthy tribute to Agent Terry.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of Calendar No. 390, H.R. 2668.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the bill be read a third time and passed, the motions to reconsider be laid upon the table, with no intervening action or debate, and any related statements be printed in the Record.