Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Representative Jackson Lee for her leadership in this effort to make sure that we protect not only other diplomats, but our agents that work overseas. I also want to thank Mr. Michael McCaul, one of my co-leads on this, Mr. Bill Pascrell, Mr. Filemon Vela, and other Members, all bipartisan, that support this.

On the Senate side, the lead sponsors were Senator John Cornyn and also Senator Chris Coons, and a whole bunch of other folks. I certainly want to say thank you so much.

Mr. Speaker, this legislation is important because this is a bipartisan bill, and it ensures that individuals who harm or attempt to harm U.S. Federal officers or employees serving abroad can be brought to justice and prosecuted in the United States.

Furthermore, this bill will improve the safety and the security of not only the agents but any diplomat or any Federal employee that works outside the U.S. or overseas by ensuring that crimes that are committed against Americans serving abroad can be prosecuted by United States courts.

As the chairwoman mentioned a few minutes ago, it was very unfortunate what happened, and it is a change on the--we want to make sure that the intent of the law that has been there will be followed, and that basically just means that that section 1114 of the United States Code would say that it also covers foreign jurisdiction. So, therefore, we ask that we support this legislation because as it was mentioned, on February 15, 2011, ICE Special Agent Jaime Zapata and also his colleague, Victor Avila, were ambushed by members of the Mexican drug cartels in San Luis Potosi, Mexico.

Unfortunately, as it has been mentioned, Special Agent Zapata died because of his injuries. ICE Special Agent Jaime Zapata's murderer cannot be brought to justice because of that loophole in the current law, and this bipartisan legislation will close that loophole and ensure that the safety of all Federal employees serving our Nation abroad will be protected.

There must be severe consequences brought to bear against any individual who harms any of the Federal employees who are serving abroad. We need to know that the heroism of Special Agent Zapata and also Special Agent Avila, by holding those people who committed violence, are held accountable.

Furthermore, this issue and this bill is also important to me because Special Agent Zapata was assigned to the Homeland Security Investigations Office located in my hometown, Laredo, Texas, while he served on the Human Smuggling and Trafficking Unit as well as the Border Enforcement Security Task Force known as BEST.

So, Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairwoman for her leadership, and the ranking member, also.

Mr. Speaker, today we honor our fallen servicemembers to award them with this Congressional Gold Medal. I am proud to be a cosponsor of this legislation, H.R. 5142.

On August 26 at 9:44 a.m., an explosion from a suicide terrorist bombing in Afghanistan killed 13 of our servicemembers. One of those servicemembers was my constituent, Lance Corporal David Lee Espinoza from Rio Bravo.

He was born in Laredo and graduated from the city's Lyndon B. Johnson High School in 2019. His mother, Elizabeth Holguin, and his father, Victor Dominguez, and his brothers and sister, Angel, Victor, and Delilah, mourn his loss and are endlessly proud of David and his service.

When we attended David's funeral in Laredo, we all knew that families across the United States also mourned their loved ones. David joined the Marine Corps with the intention of protecting our Nation and demonstrating his selfless acts of service to his country. He embodied the American values of grit, dedication, service, and valor.

May Lance Corporal David Lee Espinoza and our fallen servicemembers forever be honored and never be forgotten.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Eduardo A. Garza Robles for winning the Laredo Chamber of Commerce's Businessperson of the Year award. Mr. Garza has demonstrated the utmost dedication to his community through his many years as a customs broker.

Mr. Garza began his career as a customs broker in 1987 after working his way to the title of general manager of a customs broker firm. Shortly after obtaining his license as a Mexican customs broker, he founded his own customs agency in 1988. His company, Uni-Trade Group, has developed into a significant institution in international trade, especially in the United States and Mexico. Uni-Trade Group has over 15 offices internationally and its global presence through its alliances and partnerships has allowed it to cover 50 countries.

Along with owning and operating a successful Mexican customs agency, Mr. Garza diversified his business in other industries and consolidated them as a 3PL company, offering services such as transportation, logistics, bonded warehouses, and free trade zones. He used his expertise and knowledge from operating Uni-Trade Group to expand to other industries such as oil and gas, commercial and residential real estate development, insurance, and graphic design, creating many job opportunities for the people of his community. Between 2003 and 2013, Mr. Garza served three year-long terms as Vice-President and Secretary of the Association of the Customs Brokers Association of Guadalajara, Jalisco.

Mr. Garza has been a true leader and influential figure in our community. In 2017, his company Uni-Trade Group hosted the NAFTA Roundtable Discussion to discuss the significance of NAFTA, now the USMCA. This event brought together local private sector leaders, directors of public institutions, as well as Texas lawmakers like me and Senator John Cornyn. He has also been a prominent member of the Catholic Church in Laredo, Texas.

Eduardo has been a friend throughout the years, and we have partnered on numerous occasions to better improve binational trade. Eduardo, I congratulate you for winning this award, and I wish you, your wife Juantia, your six children and seven grandchildren many more years of prosperity.

Madam Speaker, I want to thank Chairwoman DeLauro for yielding to me, along with her staff for working on these seven bills, along with the ranking member, Kay Granger.

Even though I know we do have some differences, I know we will also get together toward the end of the year. Having said that, I stand in opposition to the en bloc amendments.

I also stand in opposition to the recent Nuclear Regulatory Commission, NRC, conduct which runs counter to Federal law. The NRC is fighting massive opposition from elected officials, including two Governors, a Democratic Governor from New Mexico and a Republican Governor from Texas, and the public against the licensing of nuclear fuel storage facilities in Texas and New Mexico.

That is why I offered and withdrew my amendment in the committee markup, so we can work and continue working as this bill moves forward. The NRC not only lacks the consent but is acting unilaterally despite clear opposition in a bipartisan way. The law is very clear. Section 42, U.S. Code 10155, says that the Governor can disapprove--and again, both Governors have disapproved. Section 42, U.S. Code 10166, notice of disapproval, also talks about when the Governor gives the disapproval.

Again, the Republican Governor from Texas and the Democratic Governor from New Mexico have done that.

The law is clear. They have to follow the law, and we must clarify that NRC can only license a DOE-monitored retrievable storage facility once consent has been given by the State and the local community.

I want to thank Chairwoman Kaptur for expressing her willingness to work with myself and Ranking Member Kay Granger on this particular issue that is so important to us.

I am confident that the final version of this legislation will clearly establish the NRC consent-based licensing approval standard.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the career and achievements of Miguel A. Conchas, one of Laredo's preeminent business leaders and a distinguished member of our community. Miguel has served for 29 years as President of the Laredo Chamber of Commerce, nourishing and advancing the quality of business, economic vitality, and community standards. Our city has undoubtedly flourished because of his outstanding enthusiasm and commitment to his work.

Mr. Conchas began his career as an Elementary school teacher and served as an Administrator for the College of Education at Laredo State University. His fondness for teaching unquestionably influenced his success in training and cultivating local business development. After his career in education Miguel served as the Laredo Convention and Visitors Bureau Director, targeting promotional programs to improve Laredo tourism.

Appropriately, his impressive career as President of the Chamber includes a long list of awards, often recognizing his success and diligence in trade and business expansion in Laredo. He received monumental recognition from state and federal leaders for his activism for NAFTA, which was instrumental in the legislation becoming law.

Throughout his long career, Mr. Conchas has sought to better his city through education, activism, and professional development. He and I have worked closely over the years on trade projects, and I consider him a close friend. Miguel is the embodiment of hard work and optimism, and I wish him a long and very happy retirement with his wife, Cynthia. May this ending bring many new beginnings for him and his family.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the diplomatic tour of Ambassador Elin Suleymanov of Azerbaijan. Since regaining independence in 1991, Azerbaijan has faced ethnic and geopolitical opposition, imperiling its independence and democracy. Ambassador Suleymanov--one of the longest-serving ambassadors in Washington--has served as a force of peace and diplomacy in the region, working honorably to advance prosperity and enhance the U.S. relationship with Azerbaijan. We congratulate him as the U.S. and Azerbaijan will mark 30 years of diplomatic relations next year.

Before his diplomatic tour, he was the first Azerbaijani to graduate from the University of Toledo in 1994 as a part of the U.S.- funded Muskie Fellowship. In 2004, Ambassador Suleymanov became the first Azerbaijani to receive the Master of Law and Diplomacy degree from the Fletcher School at Tufts University. Following his academic pursuits, he served as Azerbaijan's first Consul General in Los Angeles, establishing the nation's diplomatic presence on the West Coast.

Ambassador Suleymanov's personal concern for Azerbaijan inspired his concerted advocacy for the refugee crisis. Before joining diplomatic service, he worked with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, providing care and protection to the thousands of people displaced by the three-decades-long Armenia Azerbaijan conflict.

Additionally, Ambassador Suleymanov has a special partnership with the State of Texas. The Ambassador is especially fond of the City of Laredo and has helped establish educational partnerships between TAMIU and universities in Azerbaijan. He has visited Laredo for the Washington Birthday Celebration more frequently than any other ambassador accredited in Washington, and he has a special appreciation for Laredo's own Palenque Grill.

I am pleased to congratulate Ambassador Suleymanov on decades of building a strong

relationship between Azerbaijan and the United States. I commend Ambassador Suleymanov's significant contribution to our legislative branch, working closely with Members of Congress to expand the Congressional Azerbaijan Caucus and deepen the friendship between our nations.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the achievements of Mary Trevino in consideration of her forthcoming retirement as Director for the College Assistance Migrant Program at Texas A&M International University (TAMIU). While her professional capacity at TAMIU will come to an end, her dedication to higher education and philanthropy will endure in her students, colleagues, and greater communities.

In 1968, Ms. Trevino graduated from Raymond & Tirza Martin High School, located in Laredo, TX. Thereafter, she attended Texas A&I University in Laredo, graduating in May 1972 with a Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education with a certificate in Secondary Mathematics and History. Following graduation, she went on to collect over 43 years of administrative experience at TAMIU. In her many roles at the university, she has served as Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs, Associate Vice President for Student Services, Director of Institutional Research & Effectiveness, and Special Assistant to the President.

As Director for the College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP), Ms. Trevino serves students who are migratory or seasonal farmworkers and often the first generation in their families to attend college. CAMP emboldens students to achieve a higher education by providing collaborative academic support services across the university.

Accordingly, Ms. Trevino's efforts have earned her numerous honors and recognitions. For example, she was named as Outstanding Administrative Employee at Laredo State University in 1992; she served as Board President for Communities in Schools from 1998 to 1999 and 2003 through 2004; she served as President for the TAMIU Alumni Association from 1992 to 1993, and she served as President of United Way of Laredo from 2009 to 2010.

Her penchant for learning and teaching and her connection to TAMIU has also inspired her family; two of her four children share her alumnus status at TAMIU and currently hold teaching positions in public schools.

I am pleased to congratulate Mary Trevino on over 50 years of service to TAMIU and the Laredo community. Ms. Trevino's devotion to higher education is an impressive achievement. I wish her the best of luck in all her future endeavors, and Go Dustdevils.

Madam Speaker, again, I recognize the career and character of Mary Trevino.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Funeral Director and Embalmer Raul Villegas, Jr. (May 15, 1962--January 20, 2021). Mr. Villegas demonstrated never-ending patience and compassion to the families in his community during his life.

Mr. Villegas was born in Laredo, TX and attended J.W. Nixon High School. He then attended the Commonwealth Institute of Funeral Service and graduated in 1986. After that, he served his 35-year career as a Texas Licensed Funeral Director and Embalmer dedicated to the families of Laredo and Webb County, Texas. During this time, he was a great team leader and community member. As a funeral service professional, he met and exceeded expectations by having ceaseless patience and sympathy. Mr. Villegas had the right words for every situation and was reliable and strong even when those around him were undergoing difficult times.

Mr. Villegas will have an enduring impact on his family, team members, and all of the families in the community he served. He lived and worked his entire life by the principles of endless patience and kindness. I want to commemorate the life of Raul Villegas, Jr. and his numerous contributions to his community. As we move forward, let us take the time to appreciate Mr. Villegas and his notable life and career. However, in the words of President John F. Kennedy, ``As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.''

Mr. Villegas is survived by his beloved wife Maricela G. Villegas; children, Raul Villegas III (Melissa Guerrero), Marlene (Fernando Garza, Jr.) Villegas, David (Anabel) Villegas, Danny (Michelle) Villegas, Ricardo (Jessica) Ramirez, Jr., Melissa (Salvador) Silva, Roberto C. Ramirez (Vivian); parents, Raul and Hortencia Villegas; siblings, Irma (Wayo) Butron, Jerry (Lily) Villegas, Eddie (Juanita) Villegas, Javier Villegas, and Sammy (Anna) Villegas; 20 grandchildren; as well as other family and friends.

Madam Speaker, again I rise to recognize the life and career of Raul Villegas, Jr.

Madam Speaker, I rise in favor of Dreamers who call the U.S. home. Dreamers are our neighbors, our colleagues, our classmates. They are individuals that serve as essential workers, teachers, medical personnel, that fully contribute to our country and make America stronger. They pay taxes. They work. They have no criminal record. They help us, and those are the type of individuals that we need.

Madam Speaker, my question is: Why are we afraid of a 7-year-old?

Madam Speaker, farm work is hard work. Both of my parents, Odilia and Martin, were farmworkers. It is very hard work. It is one of those type of jobs that is very necessary to make sure that we bring food to the table.

I represent several areas that are rural, and my ranchers and my farmers need an ag work program. It has to. They need it. I have always said, if an American wants the job, let them have that job. But if they are not going to fill that position, then we need to have a guest worker plan, just like we did during World War II, where we did the Bracero program. Therefore, we need to support this for our ranchers and our farmers.

I will tell you this, it is not amnesty. What Ronald Reagan did in 1986, that was amnesty. This is not amnesty. And if you want to talk about border security, this will help secure the border.

Let me explain. If you have people who will come into a secure system to come work, and then they go back, then you can have Border Patrol focus on the people who have the bad motives, the people who want to bring in drugs, the people who want to smuggle or traffic people. So this actually will help border security if we set this up right, like they did in World War II.

Madam Speaker, I ask Members to support this program. It is needed by our farmworkers. We need to do it.

Madam Speaker, I want to thank Chairwoman Zoe Lofgren and Mr. Nadler for their work.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the impeachment.

It is very simple. What we saw on January 6 was a person, the President of the United States, incite a crowd to come and attack the Capitol. We have to make sure that we stand up for democracy.

If we don't do this, then what are we going to stand for?

We stand for democracy. We stand for American values. And I stand for the impeachment of Donald Trump.

Madam Chair, I thank Chairman Smith and his staff for working with our office, and also the ranking member and his staff for working on making this a bipartisan amendment.

I would like to speak about an amendment that will do a Western Hemisphere resource assessment.

This amendment will require the Office of the Secretary of Defense to contract for an independent study on the sufficiency of U.S. resources in the Western Hemisphere by the Department of Defense, the Department of State, and the United States Agency for International Development. The purpose is for Congress to receive an unbiased view of all U.S. investments in the region.

With ever-increasing investment by China, Iran, and Russia in the Latin American region, we must refocus our efforts with our southern neighbors. Russia is flying nuclear-capable bombers out of Venezuela, near our U.S. border. China intends on investing $250 billion in Latin America by 2025. A new study also has shown that China has become more popular than the United States in many of the Latin American countries.

The United States must remain vigilant in Latin America and help the region from succumbing to Chinese, Russian, and Iranian influences.

Again, this Western Hemisphere resource assessment is the first step in helping refocus U.S. efforts in the region, and I ask my colleagues to support this amendment and the en bloc amendment.

Madam Chair, I thank Chairman Smith and his staff, and the ranking member and his staff, for allowing this amendment to be part of the en bloc, and I urge my colleagues to support this.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the life and service of Cpl. Jose Luis ``Speedy'' Espericueta.

Cpl. Espericueta was an 18-year law enforcement veteran, most of which was spent with the City of Mission Police Department. He began his career with the San Benito Police Department where he received several accolades including, Police Officer of the Year. He then joined the Mission Police Department as a patrol officer before he was promoted to patrol corporal.

During his career, he was noted for saving two young children who were trapped in a car and for apprehending multiple armed suspects during a home invasion. He also received a Meritorious Service Award after he saved an elderly individual from a burning house. In addition, he was featured on A&E's Live PD and National Geographic's Border Wars.

Cpl. Espericueta is survived by his high school sweetheart and wife of 21 years, Roberta ``Bobbie'' De Leon Espericueta, and their two children, Brianna and Joaquin.

It is important to remember that law enforcement officials risk their lives every day for our safety. Cpl. Espericueta's heroic life and career embodies the integrity and servitude of a truly influential community leader and law enforcement official. I am grateful for the opportunity to honor the life of this remarkable and exemplary officer. His legacy will live on through the lives of the many people he helped to protect.

Madam Speaker, I again, recognize Cpl. Espericueta and his heroic service to his community.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for her leadership and the rest of the appropriators and the staff who are working very hard to get this emergency bill on the floor.

This bill is important. I live on the border. I don't just go visit the border. I have been to the CBP processing facilities. I have been to the nonprofit shelters for the immigrant children.

I speak with the brave and compassionate men and women who are responsible for managing this humanitarian crisis. These men and women are my neighbors, and we have their back. They have expressed to me the urgency of getting this funding to enable them to protect the life and the safety of the migrants in their custody.

But we must also keep in mind the communities that are also providing the food, the housing, and the assistance that they need, communities like Laredo, like McAllen, Texas, like San Antonio, and so many other communities across the southwest border. So we must pass this bill to provide that funding.

But there are two particular provisions that I d want to mention, also. One is the humanitarian reimbursement for communities, and the other is the one-stop processing centers that I had requested and have been added on this particular bill itself.

Let me talk about the humanitarian care.

Madam Speaker, you have cities, you have counties, you have churches, and you have nonprofits that have really stepped up for many years. In fact, they started this work in 2014 when the first wave of children started coming up here. This bill includes $60 million for the direct reimbursement for local communities and nonprofits in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California.

This funding will now use a different model. One, we set up a new pot of money to make sure that we get that funding. The second thing is this model provides direct funding where the local communities can now ask for these requested moneys.

We had a different model back in 2014, and, unfortunately, you had Governors, like my own State of Texas, that got over $100 million and only provided $400,000 in the last 4 years, 5 years.

So this new funding will get the money directly to them. In fact, this funding will now be distributed through the Emergency Food and Shelter Program National Board, and they

are required to distribute that money within 30 days after this board gets this money.

So we have to provide that assistance to them because, again, they have to be reimbursed for food, water, medicine, medical supplies, temporary housing, and transportation. So that assistance has to be provided to the local entities.

The second provision is this one-stop center, $200 million to make sure that this multiagency, integrated, migration process gets this.

Madam Speaker, we have to provide this because, again, the Border Patrol agency cannot handle this, and, therefore, we need this particular processing center.

Again, it is a good bill. Why should we wait for the Senate? We are the House of Representatives, and we have a right to pass our own bills and not wait for the Senate.

For those reasons, I say let's support this bill.

Madam Speaker, I want to thank Chairman Engel for yielding to me and for his leadership that he has provided in making sure that we develop a good working relationship with the Republic of Mexico.

In fact, a few months ago, we also passed a U.S.-Mexico economic development bill that is over in the Senate, and now today we are passing a tourism bill that will be used to promote this important relationship.

Madam Speaker, I want to thank the chairman for his leadership.

I also want to thank the ranking member, a friend of mine who is also with me on the U.S.-Mexico Interparliamentary Group, and I want to thank him because, as a Texan, he also understands this very important relationship that we have with Mexico.

Madam Speaker, I also want to thank the majority staff and, certainly, the minority staff for the Committee on Foreign Affairs because they get it. They understand the type of legislation that we need to have to improve this relationship that we have between the U.S. and Mexico. So I want to thank both staffs.

The relationship with Mexico is very important. Let me first talk about trade.

Every day, there is more than $1.7 billion of trade between the U.S. and Mexico. That is over $1 million every single minute, the trade that we have between these two countries.

If we look at the more than 5 million jobs that have been created because of the trade that we have with Mexico, it is important that we nourish this relationship.

So it is not only the trade that we have, the commerce that we have, but it is certainly also the tourism.

In 2016, we had over 19 million Mexicans that came over and spent over $20.5 billion at our restaurants, at our

hotels, at our malls, at our stores--a lot of money that has been spent here in the United States. But the last couple years, we have seen a different trend.

While international tourist arrivals in the U.S. have totaled 79.6 million visitors, which has been almost a 5 percent increase, a 4.2 percent increase, the tourism from Mexico has actually decreased, and, again, for different reasons.

Again, if we call them murderers, rapists, and other words, they are not going to come and spend the money. So we have to make sure that we get our friends to the south to come back and spend money because, again, in 2016, Mexican tourism to the United States peaked at almost 19 million, which means that one out of every four international visitors, that is almost 25 percent of the tourists coming from across the world, was coming here to the United States from Mexico.

Madam Speaker, this is why, with Chairman Engel and my good friend, the ranking member, Michael McCaul, we are trying to make sure that we get this tourism back because, again, it is good for our economy.

What does this bill do? Basically, it is asking that we focus on doing a couple things:

Having the State Department develop a strategy to expand this bilateral tourism with Mexico;

Encouraging collaboration between governmental and nongovernmental entities;

Making sure that this strategy is at the highest level, which is, again, at the High Level Economic Dialogue platform with Mexico; and

Making sure that the Mexican Government is involved.

I have spoken to some of the Mexican congressmen that we met last time we were there, like, for example, Congressman Luis Alegre from the Cancun area. They know that this tourism business is very important.

Madam Speaker, again, I want to thank the chairman; I want to thank the ranking member; and, again, I want to thank the staff for putting this bill up.

Madam Speaker, again, I urge my colleagues in the House to pass this measure which will return the economic benefits of bilateral tourism with Mexico again to our U.S. businesses and entrepreneurs.