[Pages H11922-H11929]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

RECOGNIZING THE U.S. BORDER PATROL'S SEVENTY-FIVE YEARS OF SERVICE

Mr. BACHUS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the
concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 122) recognizing the United States
Border Patrol's 75 years of service since its founding.
The Clerk read as follows:

H. Con. Res. 122

Whereas the Mounted Guard was assigned to the Immigration
Service under the Department of Commerce and Labor from 1904
to 1924;
Whereas the founding members of this Mounted Guard included
Texas Rangers, sheriffs, and deputized cowboys who patrolled
the Texas frontier looking for smugglers, rustlers, and
people illegally entering the United States;
Whereas following the Department of Labor Appropriation Act
of May 28, 1924, the Border Patrol was established within the
Bureau of Immigration, with an initial force of 450 Patrol
Inspectors, a yearly budget of $1 million, and $1,300 yearly
pay for each Patrol Inspector, with each patrolman furnishing
his own horse;
Whereas changes regarding illegal immigration and increases
of contraband alcohol traffic brought about the need for this
young patrol force to have formal training in border
enforcement;
Whereas during the Border Patrol's 75-year history, Border
Patrol Agents have been deputized as United States Marshals
on numerous occasions;
Whereas the Border Patrol's highly trained and motivated
personnel have also assisted in controlling civil
disturbances, performing National security details, aided in
foreign training and assessments, and responded with security
and humanitarian assistance in the aftermath of numerous
natural disasters;
Whereas the present force of over 8,000 agents, located in
146 stations under 21 sectors, is responsible for protecting
more than 8,000 miles of international land and water
boundaries;
Whereas, with the increase in drug-smuggling operations,
the Border Patrol has also been assigned additional
interdiction duties, and is the primary agency responsible
for drug interdiction between ports-of-entry;
Whereas Border Patrol agents have a dual role of protecting
the borders and enforcing immigration laws in a fair and
humane manner; and
Whereas the Border Patrol has a historic mission of firm
commitment to the enforcement of immigration laws, but also
one fraught with danger, as illustrated by the fact that 86
agents and pilots have lost their lives in the line of duty--
6 in 1998 alone: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate
concurring), That Congress recognizes the historical
significance of the United States Border Patrol's founding
and its 75 years of service to our great Nation.

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Alabama (Mr. Bachus) and the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Bachus).

General Leave

Mr. BACHUS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks
and to include extraneous material on H. Con. Res. 122.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Alabama?
There was no objection.
Mr. BACHUS. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to wholeheartedly and enthusiastically support H.
Con. Res. 122, commemorating the 75th anniversary of the United States
Border Patrol.
I would like to especially thank my colleague and friend, the
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Reyes), for sponsoring this legislation.
I come to pay tribute to a group of men and women who guard our
Nation's borders and risk their very lives every day. The group of men
and women to whom I am referring are the United States Border Patrol.
Might I, as a personal note, and I know that he might share it with
my colleagues, just thank the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Reyes) for the
years of service that he gave in the Border Patrol command. His
advocacy, his affection, his service has been much appreciated by all
concerned.
On May 28, 1924, the Border Patrol was established within the Bureau
of Immigration with an initial force of 40 patrol inspectors and a
yearly budget of $1 million.
This year is the 75th anniversary of the United States Border Patrol.
Along with my colleague, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Reyes), we also
introduced the Border Patrol Recruitment and Retention Act of 1999.
This legislation provided incentives and support for recruiting and
retaining Border Patrol agents. This legislation increased compensation
for Border Patrol agents and allowed the Border Patrol agency to
recruit its own agents without relying on the personnel office of the
Department of Justice or INS.
We know for sure that the Border Patrol could, in fact, do their own
business and do their own job, but we also know that because of the
hard work that they deserve the incentives and pay increases that any
other law enforcement organization deserved or received.
The Border Patrol Recruitment and Retention Enhancement Act moved
Border Patrol agents with one year's agency experience from the Federal
Government's GS-9 pay level, approximately $34,000 annually, to GS-11,
approximately $41,000 annually next year.

[[Page H11923]]

Fortunately, the language was inserted in the Commerce-Justice-State
appropriations bill, which passed the House and which established an
Office of Border Patrol and Retention and called for the Border Patrol
agents to receive bonuses and pay raises.
I am delighted that in this 75th year we have respected the Border
Patrol by acknowledging them as the law enforcement body that they are
and providing them with the possibility of compensation that they
deserve.

I am glad to join with the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Reyes), a
champion of the Border Patrol in the Congress, in drafting a bill that
would focus attention to it more. And we have achieved some results
from our efforts.
We are a Nation of immigrants and a Nation of law. The men and women
of the United States Border Patrol put their lives on the line every
day guarding our lives and protecting our borders. The present force of
8,000 members is responsible for protecting more than 8,000 miles of
international land and water boundaries and work in the deserts of
Arizona and Texas and California along with our extensive northern
border between the United States and Canada.
Mr. Speaker, let me thank the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Smith) for
supporting this legislation and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Reyes)
for offering and authoring this legislation, H. Con. Res. 122, which
recognizes the historical significance of the United States Border
Patrol's 75 years of commitment and service to our great Nation.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. BACHUS. Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure and honor to yield such
time as he may consume to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Reyes), my
friend and colleague and the author of this legislation.
Mr. REYES. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms.
Jackson-Lee) and a very good friend of mine for yielding me the time.
Mr. Speaker, let me begin by thanking my colleagues, the gentleman
from Texas (Mr. Smith) and the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-
Lee), the ranking member, for their help in bringing this bill to the
floor today.
Let me also thank my friend and colleague the gentleman from Alabama
(Mr. Bachus) for his support here this afternoon, as well.
This year is the 75th anniversary of the establishment of the United
States Border Patrol. I had the privilege and the honor of being part
of the U.S. Border Patrol for more than 26 years before I came to
Congress. I joined the Border Patrol after my service in Vietnam. At
the time that I joined, I was not fully aware of the historic past of
the United States Border Patrol, whose motto today, as it was and
always has been, is ``honor first'' and whose exemplary service through
the years has proven that this motto is truly a way of life for its
officers.
Mr. Speaker, I include for the Record a document entitled ``The
History of the United States Border Patrol.''

Border Patrol History

From the time this nation was established until 1875 there
was no legislation restricting immigration except the Alien
Act of 1798 which provided the President with the authority
to order the departure from the United States of any alien
whom he deemed dangerous to the welfare of the country. This
legislation was unpopular and it was not renewed when its
two-year term expired. Between 1820 and 1880, more than ten
million immigrants arrived in this country. The first
restrictive legislation passed by Congress was the Act of
March 3, 1875, which barred the immigration of convicts and
of women for the purpose of prostitution. This Act was
followed by the Immigration Statute of August 8, 1882, which
barred the admission of idiots, lunatics, convicts, and
persons likely to become a public charge. Also in 1882, the
first Chinese exclusion law was adopted, and in 1885, the
first Contract Labor Law was passed. These laws were designed
to restrict the entry of certain undesirable aliens and the
flood of Chinese and other large bodies of cheap labor being
imported into the United States which was flooding and
depressing the labor market. As the door was closed tighter
by these progressively restrictive immigration laws,
increasingly large numbers of Orientals and other
inadmissible aliens resorted to illegal entry to gain
admission, and the need for a border control force to prevent
illegal entry evolved. As early as 1904, the Commissioner
General of Immigration assigned a small group of mounted
inspectors along the borders to prevent the smuggling and
illegal entry of aliens. This token force of untrained
officers, never totaling more than 76, was woefully
inadequate to cope with the illegal entry problem. In
addition, once the alien escaped the border area, he
generally melted into the population undetected, as there
were no officers available to search out and deport him. It
was estimated that for every one hundred aliens apprehended
at the borders, one thousand escaped detection. Because of
increased and continuing illegal entry activity, a separate
unit of mounted inspector was organized in March of 1914, to
which was assigned additional men and equipment, such as
boars, cars, etc. The unit's scope was described as general,
and the officers operated without regard to district
boundaries, thus avoiding any clash of authority among
officers of the respective districts. It was stated, however,
that the new system was not extensive enough to cope with the
organized efforts of those engaged in the business of
smuggling aliens, and that this contraband traffic and
illegal entry of aliens could only be broken up by the
formation of a border patrol that could devote all its
efforts to the prevention of the illegal entry of aliens and
to seek out, arrest, and deport all aliens in the United
States illegally. It was stated that the only way to stop
surreptitious entries was to make it certain that arrest and
expulsion would follow.
Because of travel restrictions and the assignment of troops
along the borders during the World War I years of 1917-1918,
immigration and illegal border activity were greatly reduced,
but with the close of the war, smuggling and illegal entry
accelerated rapidly. The Bureau of Immigration again resumed
its efforts to close the borders between the ports of entry.
The Commissioner General made strong recommendations in 1919,
requesting funds for a patrol service to guard the borders
and coastlines, stressing the need for a force that could
devote all its energies to this important function. It was
emphasized that large numbers of European and Chinese aliens
who were smuggled in from Canada, Mexico, and Cuba were being
apprehended. Reports in 1922 indicated there were 30,000
unemployed Chinese in Cuba, and more arriving regularly, who
intended to enter the United States illegally. Smuggling from
Cuba was prevalent, approaching alarming proportions.
Prior to the enactment of the Immigration Act of 1917 there
were so few immigration restrictions applicable to natives
and citizens of Canada and Mexico there was little reason to
enter illegally. Unlike the immigrants from overseas, they
were not required to pay the head tax and they were not
compelled to take the literacy test. Those who measured up to
the relatively simple requirements of the law were free to
enter in unlimited numbers. The Immigration Act of 1917,
however, imposed the head tax of $8.00 on Canadians and
Mexicans and, like other aliens, they were subjected to the
reading test provided in the new law. These two provisions
contributed significantly to widespread border violations and
increases in smuggling. Between Fiscal Years 1922 and 1924
seaman desertions rose from 5,879 to 34,679. In Fiscal Year
1924 only 6,409 aliens were deported, but the small number of
officers assigned to patrol the borders was insufficient
to prevent many illegal entrants from escaping detection
and reaching inland points.
The volume of legal immigration soared from 141,132 in 1919
to 805,228 in 1921, and there was much concern lest an
uncontrolled flood of immigration from the war-ravaged
countries of Europe might descend on the United States.
Because of this fear, there emerged the temporary Quota Act
of 1921, which permitted the admission annually of 3% of the
number of persons of each nationality in the United States
according to the 1910 census. On May 26, 1924, Congress
adopted a permanent quota law, which restricted immigration
to approximately 150,000 quota immigrants a year.
As additional restrictions were placed on immigration, more
aliens resorted to illegal entry. Congress, aware that it was
unrealistic to inspect applicants for admission at ports of
entry, but at the same time leave long, wide-open stretches
of unguarded border between the ports where inadmissible
aliens could readily enter the United States, and realizing
the need for a force that could devote all of its energies to
the prevention of smuggling and illegal entry and the
apprehension of aliens illegally in the United States,
created the Border Patrol in the Department of Labor
Appropriations Act of May 28, 1924. The Act provided for the
expenditure of at least one million dollars for ``additional
land-border patrol''. Since then, the Border Patrol has been
an integral part and important enforcement arm of the
Immigration and Naturalization Service.
As there was no Civil Service register for immigration
patrol inspectors, the initial force was selected from Civil
Service registers for railway postal clerks and immigration
inspectors. The hastily recruited small band of officers was
given the responsibility of enforcing Section 8 of the
Immigration Act of February 5, 1917 (39 Stat. 874:8 U.S.C.),
which prohibited smuggling, harboring, concealing, or
assisting an alien not duly admitted by an immigrant
inspector or not lawfully entitled to enter or reside in the
United States.
Although the infant organization was charged with the
responsibility of combating illegal entry and the highly
organized and lucrative business of alien smuggling, the
necessary authority to act was not provided in the statute
under which the Patrol was established. During the first few
months of operation, officers were further handicapped in

[[Page H11924]]

the performance of their duties in that they were not
uniformed and had nothing but their badges to distinguish
them from other citizens. This situation gave smugglers,
illegal entrant aliens, and others an excuse for ignoring
their commands, thereby endangering the lives of the
officers. This latter handicap was remedied in December 1924
when a Border Patrol uniform was adopted. The Border Patrol
has since been known as the uniformed enforcement division of
the Immigration and Naturalization Service.
Following creation of the Border Patrol, large-scale alien
smuggling from Cuba to Florida and the Gulf Coast areas
continued. In order to combat this difficult problem,
Congress, in the Act of February 27, 1925 (43 Stat. 1049-
1050; 8 U.S.C. 110), provided funds for a ``coast and land
border patrol'', and, in addition, realizing that Border
Patrol officers lacked specific authority to act, authorized
any designated employee of the Bureau of Immigration to
execute any warrant or other process issued by any officer
under any law regulating the admission, exclusion, or
expulsion of aliens and, without warrant,
(1) to arrest any alien who, in his presence or view, is
entering or attempting to enter the United States in
violation of any law or regulation made it pursuance of law
regulating the admission of aliens, and to take such alien
immediately for examination before an immigrant inspector or
other official having authority to examine aliens as to their
rights to admission to the United States, and
(2) to board and search for aliens any vessel within the
territorial waters of the United States, railway car,
conveyance, or vehicle, in which he believes aliens are being
brought into the United States.
Officers operated under the provisions of this Act until it
was amended by the Act of August 7, 1946 (60 Stat. 865; 8
U.S.C. 110), which continued the basic authorities with the
following revisions:
(1) Extended the power, without warrant, to arrest any
alien in the United States in violation of any law or
regulation made in pursuance of law regulating the admission,
exclusion, or expulsion of aliens, and likely to escape
before a warrant could be obtained for his arrest.
(2) Reason to believe aliens were being brought into the
United States in a conveyance was no longer necessary to
board and search such conveyance; however, the search had to
be made within a reasonable distance of an external boundary.
(3) Added the power, without warrant, to make arrests for
felonies committed and cognizable under any law of the United
States regulating the admission, exclusion, or expulsion of
aliens, if the person making the arrest has reason to believe
that the person so arrested in guilty of such felony and if
there is likelihood of the person escaping before a warrant
can be obtained for his arrest.
Approximately six years later, the Act of March 20, 1952,
amended Section 8 of the Immigration Act of 1917 and title IV
of the Act of February 27, 1925. The basic authorities in
effect at the time of the new Act were retained with the
following revisions and/or additions:
(1) Transportation within the United States of known
illegal entrant aliens was, for the first time, made an
offense.
(2) Employment and usual and normal practices incident to
employment were deemed not to constitute harboring illegal
aliens.
(3) Arrests for harboring, smuggling, and transportation of
illegal aliens were restricted to designated officers and
employees of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, and
all other officers whose duties were to enforce criminal
laws.
(4) Provision was made for officers to have access to
private lands, but not dwellings, within 25 miles of any
external boundary, for the purpose of patrolling the border
to prevent the illegal entry of aliens.
Some three months later, the Act of June 27, 1952 (66 Stat.
163), cited as the ``Immigration and Nationality Act'', also
referred to as the McCarran-Walter Act, repealed and
substantially reenacted most of the laws relating to
immigration and nationality, including the authorities of
immigration officers to act without warrant. The one
significant addition to authority of officers was the
provision which permitted boarding and searching of a
conveyance for aliens to be performed anywhere in the United
States, so long as the officer had reason to believe aliens
were being brought into the United States in the vehicle
being searched.
The authorities contained in the Immigration and
Nationality Act provide the basis for action by our officers
today. The primary authority under which the Border Patrol
operates stems from Section 103 of this Act (8 U.S.C. 1103),
which states, in part, that the Attorney General shall ``. .
. have the power and duty to control and guard the boundaries
and borders of the United States against the illegal entry of
aliens and shall, in his discretion, appoint for that purpose
such number of employees of the Service as to him shall
appear necessary and proper''.
This authority has been delegated by him to the
Commissioner of Immigration and Naturalization, and the
Commissioner, in turn, has delegated, under 8 CFR 103.1, to
the Deputy associate Commissioner, Domestic Control, the
responsibility for all the Border Patrol activities of the
Service.
Further, in order to provide Border Patrol officers
authority and protection when they encounter violators of
customs laws incident to the performance of their normal
duties, arrangements were made in 1955 for their designation
as Customs Patrol Inspectors. This designation was updated on
July 14, 1971, providing for delegation of authority to
designate Border Patrol Agents as acting Customs Patrol
Officers, without compensation. Basic authority to act under
this designation lies in Title 19 U.S.C. 1581.
The Border Patrol had an initial force of 450 officers
assigned to the Florida and Gulf Coasts and the two land
boundaries. Exhibit I shows appropriations, officer force,
and numbers of deportable aliens and smugglers apprehended,
Fiscal Year 1925 to Fiscal Year 1973, inclusive. During these
years, the Border Patrol apprehended 7,061,853 deportable
aliens and 40,463 smugglers of aliens. In addition, the
Border Patrol works closely with other agencies and,
incidental to their regular duties, its officers have
apprehended tens of thousands of violators of other laws and
seized smuggled contraband, liquor, and narcotics valued at
millions of dollars.
The Border Patrol has always been a flexible and mobile
organization whose officers have high morale and an intense
pride in their organization. When first organized, the
entrance-on-duty salary was $1,680 per annum, as compared to
$9,969 at the present time. Initially, the Border Patrol was
under the supervision of the border district directors.
However, starting January 1932, in order to obtain a greater
degree of coordination and uniformity in operations and
supervision, it was placed under the immediate control of two
directors--one located at El Paso, Texas, for the Mexican
border, and the other at Detroit, Michigan, for the Canadian
border. This administrative alignment was terminated on June
1, 1933, and the Border Patrol reverted to its former plan of
organization. When the regional concept was adopted on
January 3, 1955, the Border Patrol continued to operate under
the respective districts until October of that year. At that
time, operational activities were placed under the immediate
direction of the regional offices. This arrangement provided
needed flexibility and better coordination of activities
between the sectors, and facilitated the movement of officers
and equipment to meet changing work-loads and conditions.
In January 1930, hearings were held by the Committee on
Immigration and Naturalization, House of Representatives, to
consider merging of the Immigration and Customs Border
Patrols so that the execution of the customs, immigration,
prohibition, and other laws regulating or prohibiting the
entry into the United States of persons and merchandise might
be more effective. It was proposed by the Secretary of the
Treasury that the unified Border Patrol be part of the Coast
Guard and be charged with the duty of guarding the borders
between the designated ports of entry to prevent the entry of
persons and merchandise over the land and water boundaries.
The proposed unified Border Patrol was to replace the Customs
and Immigration Border Patrols on the Mexican and Canadian
borders and complement of work of the Coast Guard on the
maritime boundaries, thereby eliminating duplication of
effort, concentrating responsibility for the protection of
the borders, and bringing about a more effective coordination
of work. The plan, however, did not get beyond the discussion
stage. Upon repeal of the prohibition laws in 1933, liquor
smuggling, for all practical purposes, ceased to exist. The
number of customs patrol inspectors diminished thereafter and
the organization was finally abolished on July 24, 1948.
In 1935, the Border Patrol, realizing the need and value of
radio communications in its work, began the installation and
use of radios in vehicles and stations. This was the
forerunner of the comprehensive and effective radio network
we have today.
As a continuing effort to improve its efficiency and
effectiveness, the Border Patrol, in 1939, established a
fingerprint unit in El Paso, Texas, for aliens apprehended in
the three Mexican border districts. The unit provided rapid
and positive identification of previously arrested aliens,
and proved to be a very effective enforcement tool until
it was unable to process the increasingly large number of
fingerprints of aliens apprehended along the Mexican
border. The unit had, as its maximum, seven employees, and
personnel limitations made it impossible to expand the
unit so it could keep pace with the increasing number of
aliens apprehended by the Border Patrol in Mexican border
districts. Because of its limitations, the unit was
discontinued in 1953.
Except for the initial year of its existence, the Border
Patrol officer force, workload, and accomplishments remained
fairly constant through fiscal year 1940 (see Exhibit I).
During appropriation hearings for fiscal year 1941, the
Secretary of Labor vigorously opposed a proposed reduction in
the Border Patrol force, stating ``I think the Border Patrol
is our most efficient and effective branch of the Service and
whatever reductions are made in the Immigration Service
should be at points other than the Border Patrol. It is the
prevention of illegal entry that will reduce our work.'' On
June 14, 1940, (Reorganization Plan No. V, 5 F.R. 2223; 5
U.S.C. 99, 1940 ed.) the Immigration and Naturalization
Service was transferred from the Department of Labor to the
Department of Justice. Because of the grave international
situation that existed in 1940 and the belief that aliens who
would be a threat to the best interests of the country would
endeavor to enter the United States surreptitiously,
Congress, on June 27, 1940, by deficiency appropriation,

[[Page H11925]]

made available two million dollars for 712 additional Patrol
officers, 57 auxiliary personnel, and the necessary
equipment. This increased the force to 1,531 officers. During
the war years, this force was used to provide tighter control
of the borders, to man alien detention camps, guard
diplomats, and to assist the military to guard the East Coast
of the United States against the entry of Axis saboteurs. A
Border Patrol unit was established in Boston, Massachusetts,
in 1942, to guard the coastline and perform other Border
Patrol duties in that area. This unit was deactivated in
1945.
The first attempt to patrol the borders by air began in the
summer of 1941 when three autogiros were obtained from the
military and transferred to the Service. The first fixed-wing
airplanes were used in 1945 after three surplus L-5
observation planes were obtained from the military. The
radio-coordinated air-ground operations have developed into
one of the Patrol's most effective tools.
In 1942, after the beginning of World War II, the demand
for labor accelerated rapidly. As farm laborers entered the
military or found employment in the expanding war industry,
an acute labor shortage was created in agriculture. Food
production was considered vital to winning the war, and for
the first time since World War I, it became necessary to
recruit alien labor. An agreement with Mexico, affective
August 4, 1942, provided for the importation of Mexican
nationals. The first Mexican agricultural workers were
admitted to El Paso, Texas, on September 27, 1942, under the
Ninth Proviso of Section 3 of the Immigration Act of February
5, 1917. The continued shortage of domestic labor brought
about the enactment of Public Law 45 on April 29, 1943, which
provided for the importation of agricultural laborers.
This law expired December 31, 1947, and from 1948 to June
30, 1951, Mexican laborers again were imported under the
Ninth Proviso. On July 12, 1951, congress passed Public Law
78, and Mexican laborers were imported under this Act (see
Exhibit II). Upon termination of Public Law 78 on December
31, 1964, the importation of Mexican laborers diminished
drastically. In calendar year 1965, 20,284 Mexican
agricultural laborers were imported under Section
101(a)(15)(H)(ii) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. In
addition, in fiscal year 1965, 15,377 British West Indians
and 21,430 Canadian woodsmen and agricultural laborers were
admitted under this Act. If the Canadian and British West
Indian programs were eliminated, illegal entries would
increase; however, the impact would not be as great on
illegal alien activity as was brought about by the
termination of Public Law 78. Statistics concerning the
relationship between the importation of Mexican laborers and
deportable aliens located reveal that as the number of
contracted Mexican laborers declined, the number of
deportable aliens apprehended increased. (See Exhibits I and
II)
Early in fiscal year 1950, a Border Patrol unit was
established in New York, followed by the establishment of
units in Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Norfolk, to perform
seaport and crewman control duties. These units were
abolished in 1952 and the officers and functions were
transferred to the newly formed Investigations Division.
Starting with fiscal year 1944 and upon termination of
World War II, illegal alien activity accelerated rapidly,
especially along the Mexican border. Apprehension of
deportable aliens increased each year. During this period,
the authorized force decreased from 1,637 to 1,079. The
increasingly large number of apprehensions each year could
not be pointed at with pride. These large numbers of aliens
who could be apprehended so rapidly indicated a weakness in
the prevention of illegal entry. During appropriation
hearings in February 1951, Service representatives were
informed that the influx of illegal aliens was a major and
fantastic disgrace and a reflection on the Immigration
Service, the Department of Justice, and representatives of
the national government, and that the situation was so
serious along the Mexican border that it made a farce of the
Immigration laws in that area.
The Mexican border situation continued to deteriorate,
especially in the California and Rio Grande Valley areas. It
was reported that aliens were responsible for 755 of the
crimes in some of the South Texas and California counties.
The Service was implored by citizens' associations, chambers
of commerce, and local peace officer groups to use all
possible resources toward controlling the hordes of illegal
aliens flooding the Southwest. The numerous reports of
robbery, rape, and pillage by illegal aliens indicated the
seriousness of the situation.
In 1950, in attempting to halt this invasion, the Canadian
border was reduced by 62 positions that were shifted to the
Mexican border. In addition, an airlift to the interior of
Mexico was inaugurated June 1, 1951. Approximately 51,504
aliens were airlifted before that lift was discontinued
during July 1952 for lack of funds. The Mexican Government
then agreed to provide train lifts for its nationals, with
military surveillance, from the San Antonio and Los Angeles
Districts to the interior of Mexico. These trainlifts were
inaugurated in July 1952, but because of their
ineffectiveness were discontinued after about five months of
operation. During that time 25,297 aliens were transported
from the border areas. In most areas, the Border Patrol could
apprehend daily as many aliens as officers could handle. It
was the same old story, year after year--too little and too
late to stop the wave of illegal entries.
On June 9, 1954, however, the Attorney General announced
that the Border Patrol would begin an operation to rid
Southern California of illegal aliens. On June 17, 1954, a
special force of some 800 officers from all districts was
assembled at El Centro and Chula Vista, California. As news
of the special operation spread, unknown thousands of aliens
left the country voluntarily. The adult, healthy, Mexican
males without families were expelled by bus at Nogaleses and
from there by train, at the expense of the Mexican
Government, to the interior of Mexico. In approximately
thirty days, the operation was shifted to the South Texas
area. After the wetback invasion was brought under control
there, officers were assigned to Chicago and other interior
cities to clean out the illegal aliens in those areas. After
removing the hordes of illegal aliens in the Southwest, it
was reported that unemployment claims in California dropped
by $188,000 a week and that crime in some border counties
decreased from 50%-90%. Welfare agencies and hospitals
reported a decrease in charity demands. Jobs were made
available for local citizens, and merchants reported rising
sales. There was a general improvement in the economic,
social, and health conditions all along the Mexican border.
For example, the infant mortality rate in Hidalgo County,
Texas, dropped from 233 in 1953 to 31 in the last half of
1954.
To assure that there would be a sufficient number of
officers on a permanent basis to maintain control of the
borders, Congress, in fiscal year 1955, authorized an
increase of 400 patrol agents. To provide for a means for the
expeditious movement of aliens in Service custody, five
transport aircraft were acquired in late 1954. It was
realized at the time that there could be no relaxation of
our enforcement effort and, realizing the need to remove
border violators from the area of their gainful employment
in order to discourage their illegal return, the Border
Patrol, on September 8, 1954, began expelling adult
Mexican male aliens by boatlift from Port Isabel, Texas,
to Vera Cruz, Mexico. The operation was terminated in
August 1956, after 49,503 aliens had been removed. The
Ojinaga to Chihuahua trainlift, and the Reynosa-Matamoros,
Tamps., to Leon, Gto., airlift were started September 26,
1956, and November 29, 1957, respectively. For a brief
period in 1965, the airlift was extended to include
flights from Mexicali and Juarez. The Mexican airlift
operation was discontinued in February 1969. Various other
programs have utilized bus or train transport in Mexico to
return aliens to the vicinity of their homes. At the close
of Fiscal Year 1973, the following removal operations were
in existence. The data of origin of the operation appears
within the parentheses.
Airlift: Tijuana-Leon (3/25/70).
Buslift/Trainlift: Presido (9/26/56); El Paso-Jimenez (9/
12/67); El Paso-Chihuahua (9/16/68); Port Isabel-San Luis
Potosi (4/8/69); El Centro-Los Mochis (9/9/68); Chula Vista-
Mazatlan (5/16/69); Del Rio-San Luis Potosi (3/13/70);
Nogales-Obregon (12/3/70).
By 1956 the Mexican border violations had been reduced to
the extent that adequate control prevailed. It was then
possible to strengthen the other areas which was accomplished
by transferring 84 officer positions from the Southwest
Region. Thirty positions were allocated to the Northeast
Region, 33 to the Northwest Region, and 21 to the Southeast
Region.
As border conditions improved, it was realized that
attention should be given to the illegal entry of aliens by
air. Recognizing the potential use of private aircraft for
alien smuggling and the need to provide a method to combat
smuggling and illegal entry by air, as there were reportedly
widespread violations, air detail offices were established
for the Mexican border at El Centro, California, in July
1955, and relocated to Yuma, Arizona, in June 1956; at
Detroit, Michigan, for the Canadian border in September 1957;
and in the Miami Sector for the Caribbean area in July 1959.
The function of these offices is to index, evaluate, and
disseminate information relating to suspect aircraft and
pilots transiting the Mexican, Canadian, and Florida and Gulf
Coast borders. In April 1968, the Detroit office was merged
with the Yuma office and in June 1968, the Miami office was
moved to Yuma. Although these facilities are manned by Border
Patrol personnel, they are Service-wide facilities and all
offices contribute information concerning suspect aircraft
and individuals, and consult the records when the need
arises. More than one hundred thousand legal entries by
private aircraft are verified each year. These offices have
assisted in establishing almost 950 violations of Section 239
of the Immigration and Nationality Act (illegal entry in
aircraft)
Further, as controls were tightened along the borders,
increasing numbers of aliens resorted by use of false
documents to support claims to United States citizenship. In
view of the expanding complexity of the problem, it became
evident that a coordinated effort on a national scale was
needed to combat this menace to enforcement control, and as a
result, the Fraudulent Document Center was established at El
Paso, Texas, on April 15, 1958.
The Center compiles information from completed cases
involving fraudulent birth or baptismal certificates used by
Mexican aliens, and this information is readily available to
a field officer who encounters a doubtful document claim to
United States

[[Page H11926]]

citizenship by a subject of Mexican extraction. The Center
was moved to Yuma in June 1968 to place all Border Patrol
record-keeping facilities in one location.
Two other record facilities are being operated by the
Border Patrol. The Anti-Smuggling Information Center was
established in 1965 to correlate information to identify
known and/or suspect smugglers of aliens operating in the
western portion of the U.S./Mexican border. The area involved
has been extended to include all of the Southwest Region and
the facility is now situated at Yuma, Arizona. Service
officers direct information relating to smuggling operations
to the Center for correlation, indexing, and filing. The
current workload includes handling and processing
approximately 6,000 cases per year and over 12,000 inquiries
per year. A similar facility was established on July 1, 1971,
at Swanton, Vermont, for information relating to alien
smuggling across the U.S./Canadian border. The workload at
the Canadian border facility is much less than the one on the
Mexican border, but inquiries now exceed 100 per month.
Beginning in 1959, there was a number of special problems of
national interest that arose which resulted in the Border
Patrol being called upon to furnish assistance. After Castro
had succeeded in taking over the Cuban Government on January
1, 1959, anti-Castro Cubans and, in some cases United States
citizens, used Florida airports to carry out hostile activity
against Cuba, thereby causing embarrassment to this
government. Under Presidential Proclamation 3004 dated
January 17, 1953, and the provisions of Section 215 of the
Immigration and Nationality Act (66 Stat. 190) and
regulations of the Secretary of State relating to 22 CFR 46
and 53, the Attorney General was requested, on November 1,
1959, to prevent the departure of persons from the United
States to Cuba, including its air space, who appeared to be
departing for the purpose of starting or furthering civil
strife in that country. The administrator of the Federal
Aviation Administration issued a regulation requiring all
persons operating civil aircraft for flights to or over Cuba
to file a flight plan, to notify the Immigration and
Naturalization Service, and to depart from designated
international airports.
The Cabinet, on February 26, 1960, assigned primary
responsibility for coordinating the efforts of various
agencies to enforce the policy of interdicting illegal
flights or incursions or export of arms to Cuba with the
Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration. The
responsibility for preventing departure of unauthorized
flights was assigned to the Border Patrol. In order to carry
out these responsibilities, the 86th Congress, as a part of
the appropriation for fiscal year 1961, appropriated
$1,600,000 to increase the Border Patrol authorized force by
155 officers. On April 1, 1962, 33 of these positions were
converted to guard positions and assigned to the Miami
District. As the Cuban problem in Florida improved, the need
for the additional officers diminished, and the force was
further reduced by 122 positions on February 6, 1963.
In May 1961, the Department of Justice requested the detail
of, and was furnished, 349 patrol agents, with necessary
vehicles and radio equipment, to assist U.S. marshals in
quelling racial disturbances at Montgomery, Alabama.
Subsequently, Patrol officers have assisted U.S. marshals in
riot control at Oxford, Mississippi, Selma-Montgomery,
Alabama, at the Pentagon and Resurrection City in Washington,
D.C.; and in many other operations. The Border Patrol also
participated in the transfer of food and drugs in the
exchange for Bay of Pigs prisoners from Cuba.
In addition, the Patrol has aided U.S. marshals in
maintaining peace and good order during the hearings of the
House of Representatives Subcommittee on Un-American
Activities. Also, between January 1961 and November 1963
Border Patrol officers were assigned to security duty with
Air Force personnel to guard President Kennedy's plane in
West Palm Beach, Florida. Later, during President Johnson's
visits to Blaine, Washington, and El Paso, Texas, Border
Patrol officers were detailed to assist the security force at
those places.
During the Presidential Inauguration in January 1969,
Patrol Agents were detailed to Washington, D.C., to assist in
security measures. Operations Instruction 105.6(b) provides
for immigration officers to render assistance to the Secret
Service in its protective responsibilities to the President.
Between May 1, 1961, and August 6, 1961, there were three
successful and one unsuccessful hijack attempts directed
against United States commercial aircraft by unstable
dissidents. On August 10, 1961, President Kennedy announced
to the nation that U.S. Border Patrolmen would be assigned to
protect a number of flights in order to prevent future hijack
attempts. Twelve hours later, our officers were riding and
safeguarding commercial flights. The operation was
coordinated by the Maimi Sector for the entire United States,
and when it reached its peak on August 16, 1961, 50 officers
per day were accompanying 92 flights. This was scaled down
gradually until September 9, after which date officers
accompanied flights only upon request by an airline, the
Federal Aviation Administration, or upon receipt of
information that a hijack attempt might be made. During the
operation, Patrol officers guarded 1,310 commercial flights
and travelled 1,724,396 miles. That the operation was
successful is borne out by the fact that no hijack attempts
occurred during the operation. The last flight by our
officers took place on October 23, 1961, when Federal
Aviation Administration peace officers assumed responsibility
for this activity. Between September 14, 1969 and November 2,
1969 Service Immigration Inspectors, Investigators, Airplane
Pilots, and Border Patrol Agents participated in `
``Operation Intercept/Cooperation,'' a multi-agency operation
to halt the smuggling of marijuana, narcotics, and dangerous
drugs from Mexico. Advanced planning and subsequent
implementation involved realignment of Border Patrol officers
assigned to back-up operations to the border area, detailing
Patrol Agents and Investigators from other regions to the
Southwest Region. Extending the workweek of all officers to
provide greater availability of manpower, establishment of
radar coverage through the cooperation of the Military and
the Federal Aviation Administration, use of leased pursuit
aircraft flown by Border Patrol pilots to intercept
unidentified aircraft entering the United States from Mexico,
and establishment of a communications system between the
agencies for transmission of intelligence and operating
information. The combined efforts of the participating
agencies succeeded in achieving the program's objectives and
initiated new approaches to a problem of national magnitude.
With the realignment and the details from other regions
there were 1,123 officers assigned to border surveillance, an
increase of 254 officers. A six day workweek was authorized
for the officers assigned to the operation. For pursuit
purposes, the Service leased seven Beech Baron aircraft and
furnished three Cessna 180 and one Piper Cherokee, whereas,
FAA provided two Beech Barons and Customs made available
their Cessna 210. Sixteen Service pilots were accorded
training to fly the Service Beech Barons. Twenty-one FAA and
Military radar installations were utilized, of which ten were
portable units. The greatest concentration of radar coverage
extended from El Paso to the West Coast. Service
communications equipment installed at radar sites were manned
by Service officers.
Statistics relating to enforcement functions performed by
Border Patrol Agents and Service Investigators during
``Operation Intercept/Cooperation'' reflect 115 Customs
violators were located, resulting in 52 seizures which
included approximately 7,000 pounds of marijuana, almost 20
ounces of heroin, and nearly 250,000 units of dangerous
drugs.
After our enforcement effort was strengthened and the
illegal entry problem brought under control, the number of
deportable aliens apprehended remained relatively steady from
Fiscal Year 1957 to Fiscal Year 1964, inclusive. During this
period, the borders were considered to be under an acceptable
level of control.
However, since termination of Public Law 78 on December 31,
1964, apprehensions, especially in the Southwest Region, have
increased drastically. For example, during Fiscal Year 1964,
the Border Patrol apprehended 42,879 deportable aliens, as
compared to 369,495 in Fiscal Year 1972, an increase of
326,416 or 761%. There was a more significant increase in
the apprehension of adult Mexican males ``EWI'' during the
same period--17,812, in 1964, and 435,171 in 1973, an
increase of 417,359 or 2343%.
To further illustrate the illegal alien problem facing the
Border Patrol it is necessary to emphasize that, in Fiscal
Year 1955, when the illegal entry situation along the Mexican
border was brought under control, there were 337,996 Mexican
laborers imported under Public Law 78 to help alleviate the
agricultural labor shortage, as compared to the admission of
only 20,287 Mexican agricultural laborers under the bracero
program (Public Law 78). Mexican braceros were employed in
seventeen states during the last year of the program. A few
employers of agricultural laborors have requested
certification for temporary foreign workers under the
provisions of Section 214 and relating regulations. The
number of Mexican laborers imported have been mere tokens of
the labor force formerly available. In Fiscal Year 1966 there
were 18,544 Mexican laborers admitted, 7,703 in 1967, 6,127
in 1968. No Mexican laborers have been imported since 1968.
A few months after the bracero program terminated it became
evident that only a small number of workers would be admitted
for temporary employment. This prompted former agricultural
contract laborers, many whose only source of income and
livelihood for years had been derived from work in the United
States, and many others, knowing that work was available in
this country, to resort to illegal entry.
To combat this pressure along the sourthern border,
officers were detailed to the most active areas, transfers
from the Southwest Region to the other regions were frozen
February 2, 1965, and during the last six months of Fiscal
Year 1966, 95 Patrol Agents positions were transferred from
the other regions to the Southwest Region to bolster our
forces there. Although these measures have helped, the
problem of maintaining adequate control against illegal alien
activity has taxed our resources to the fullest.
The continuing high volume of border violations has
necessitated an increase of 152 officer positions in Fiscal
Years 1970 and 1971, and 140 positions in Fiscal Year 1972.
In addition, considerable knowledge has been acquired
relative to the development and utilization of electronic
intrusion devices to supplement border security. This
comparatively new field of endeavor for the Border Patrol

[[Page H11927]]

will undoubtedly become a major factor in the overall success
of enforcement functions.
Barring a major economic disaster, such as a nationwide
depression, the opportunity for employment will remain the
principal attraction to the migration of aliens to the United
States. A severe shortage of unskilled agricultural workers
during World War II was eased considerably by the legal,
temporary admission of workers from adjacent countries. This
in itself did not halt the flow of illegal aliens; however,
increased enforcement measures, coupled with the availability
of legal farm workers, served to bring the illegal entry
problem well within control of the Border Patrol. In recent
years a transition in reverse has been taking place; i.e.,
efforts have been directed toward replacing the alien worker
with citizens and legal residents. This transition, which is
beyond Service control, has already and will continue to have
a bearing on Border Patrol operations.
During the transition, actions taken by agricultural
associations and individual farmers can affect the rate of
progress and the future requirements for agricultural
workers. Wholehearted acceptance of the local worker in lieu
of imported labor will facilitate the transition.
Unfortunately, some associations and farmers are still
relying on illegal aliens to perform field work. Conversion
to crops requiring less manpower and elimination of non-
essential luxury produce requiring excessive labor and care
would reduce the need for laborers; however, such
conversions, if they have been made, have had no appreciable
affect on the laborers needed. Lastly, the development and
utilization of mechanical devices for ground preparation,
planting, cultivation, and harvesting will influence the
future requirements for agricultural workers. Further
technological advances are forthcoming, but not within the
present time frame.
Other important factors that cause aliens to enter the
United States in violation of law are socio-economic and
political conditions in their homelands. Mexico is a prime
example of the disparity in existing socio-economic
conditions. Although progress has been made in commercial and
agricultural development, housing, educational opportunities,
social and welfare matters, a high rate of unemployment
persists, particularly for the unskilled laborer. Two
interesting observations have appeared in news media that
concisely pinpoint Mexico's labor situation. In testimony
before the House Subcommittee on Immigration on July 9, 1971,
at El Paso, Texas, American Consul General William P. Hughes
stated ``Mexico is expected to have 70 million people by the
year 2000. It must create 400,000 jobs a year. Perhaps if we
could aid Mexico to narrow the economic gap the illegal
problem could erode''. (El Paso Herald, July 10, 1971). The
January 29, 1973, issue of U.S. News & World Report contained
the following: ``Mexico is wading into 1973 with a Growing
Problem. Too few jobs for too many people. The rate for
unemployment and underemployment is estimated to top 20 per
cent nationwide. In the countryside, the figure may hit 50
per cent. Economists say more than 1 million Mexicans reach
age 15 each year. Most of them enter the labor market''. In
contrast, Canada's progress has served to reduce incentives
for some of its citizens to seek benefits elsewhere. The
political situation in Cuba has resulted in the exodus of
large numbers of Cubans, with thousands of them finding
refuge in the United States. It is not possible to predict
the degree to which the foregoing factors will affect Border
Patrol operations. Likewise, there is no means by which to
gauge the duration of conditions that prompt aliens to enter
the United States illegally. In the absence of positive,
predictable or controllable factors, the Border Patrol must
continue to utilize its manpower and other resources as
efficiently and effectively as possible to control the flow
of illegal aliens in the United States.

bibliography

In citing the various stages of development in this History
of the Border Patrol, a number of sources were researched. In
some instances, direct quotations were lifted from the
original documents and, in others, the writer has paraphrased
to avoid voluminous and repetitious quotations.
Among the major sources reviewed were: U.S. Statues at
Large; U.S. Code Congressional and Administrative News;
Annual Reports of the Immigration and Naturalization Service,
Fiscal Years 1892 through 1968; Our Immigration, M-85, 1963
Edition; Development of Immigration and Naturalization Laws
and Service History, M-67, Revised 5/1/64; The Border
Patrol--Its Origin and Its Work, M-157, 1963 Edition;
Appropriation Hearings, Fiscal Years 1920 through 1965;
Appropriation and Immigration Congressional Committee
Reports; Service Statistical (G-23) Reports; Service Files;
Laws Applicable to Immigration and Nationality; World Book
Encyclopedia, 1965 Edition; Planned Parenthood News, Spring
1966, Edition.

Mr. Speaker, I just want to recap that it all started with the
Mounted Guard, which was assigned to the Immigration Service under the
Department of Commerce and Labor from 1904 to 1924.
The founding members of this Mounted Guard included Texas Rangers,
sheriffs, and deputized cowboys who patrolled the frontier looking for
smugglers and rustlers back during that early period.
On May 28, 1924, the Border Patrol was established within the Bureau
of Immigration with an initial force of 450 patrol inspectors and a
yearly budget of $1 million and an average yearly salary of $1,300 for
its inspectors who, incidentally, had to provide their own horse.
During the Border Patrol's 75-year history, these highly trained,
dedicated, and professional officers have assisted in controlling civil
disturbances, performing national security details for the President
while he has traveled in our border States, aided in foreign training
and assessments in countries such as Bolivia, Colombia, Cuba, Equador,
Guatemala, El Salvador, and Haiti, and have responded with security and
humanitarian assistance in the aftermath of numerous natural disasters,
which include the massive earthquake in San Francisco in 1989 and the
Mexico City earthquake of 1990.
Every year hundreds of lives are saved along our Nation's borders by
Border Patrol agents that are out routinely on search-and-rescue
missions. During the first airline hijacking in U.S. history, which
occurred in El Paso in 1961, Border Patrol agents played an
instrumental role in averting a disaster and restoring order.
During the civil rights era, Border Patrol agents were often
deputized as U.S. Marshals to assist in the integration of our schools.
Border Patrol agents have worked with the FBI and other law enforcement
agencies throughout this country charged with our national security to
intercept individuals that pose a threat to our national security.
The Border Patrol is also the lead agency today tasked with drug
interdiction between our ports of entry, playing a major role in
keeping our neighborhoods drug free.
Mr. Speaker, I could go on and on about the accomplishments,
dedication, and the role of the United States Border Patrol and the
history of this country.
The present force of over 8,000 agents, located in 146 stations under
21 sectors, is responsible for protecting more than 8,000 miles of
international land and water boundaries. It is this Nation's largest
uniform Federal law enforcement agency.
The men and women of the United States Border Patrol have the dual
role of protecting this Nation's borders and enforcing immigration laws
in a fair and humane, professional manner. Their job is tough and it
takes a special person to perform their duties. It also takes a special
person to work summers in the deserts of Arizona and West Texas or the
cold winters in North Dakota and Vermont.
Our agents provide a vital service to our Nation day in and day out,
and I am very proud that we are passing this resolution to thank them
and honor them on behalf of this House of Representatives.
The work that our Border Patrol agents perform each day is dangerous.
Eighty-six agents and pilots have lost their lives in the line of duty,
six last year and two this year.
Mr. Speaker, I include for the Record the names of each of those
brave men and women who have died while serving their country:

Border Patrol Officers Killed in the Line of Duty

Clarence M. Childress, April 16, 1919.
Charles L. Hopkins, May 8, 1919.
Charles Gardiner, October 22, 1922.
James F. Mankin, September 14, 1924.
Frank N. Clark, December 13, 1924.
Joseph P. Riley, April 6, 1925.
Augustin De La Pena, August 2, 1925.
Ross A. Gardner, October 28, 1925.
William W. McKee, April 23, 1926.
Lon Parker, July 25, 1926.
Thad Pippin, April 21, 1927.
Franklin P. Wood, December 15, 1927.
Norman G. Ross, February 10, 1928.
Robert H. Lobdell, December 25, 1928.
Earl A. Roberts, March 24, 1929.
Benjamin T. Hill, May 30, 1929.
Ivan E. Scotten, July 20, 1929.
Miles J. Scannell, September 9, 1929.
William D. McCalib, January 7, 1930.
Harry E. Vincent, March 25, 1930.
Robert W. Kelsay, June 25, 1930.
Frank Vidmar, Jr., March 24, 1932.
Charles F. Inch, June 26, 1932.
Philip D. Stobridge, March 7, 1933.
Doyne C. Melton, December 7, 1933.
Bert G. Walthall, December 27, 1933.
William L. Stills, January 17, 1940.
George E. Pringle, December 28, 1940.
Robert J. Heibler, September 7, 1941.
Ralph W. Ramsey, February 26, 1942.
Earl F. Fleckinger, June 23, 1945.

[[Page H11928]]

Ned D. Henderson, November 18, 1945.
Anthony L. Oneto, March 11, 1947.
Michael T. Box, August 29, 1950.
Richard D. Clarke, December 18, 1950.
Edwin H. Wheeler, July 6, 1952.
William F. Bucklew, July 23, 1954.
Donald Kee, July 23, 1954.
James M. Kirchner, November 15, 1954.
James M. Carter, June 6, 1956.
Douglas C. Shute, June 6, 1956.
John A. Rector, October 16, 1956.
Archie L. Jennings, April 16, 1960.
Kenneth L. Carl, June 18, 1961.
Richard A. Lugo, May 14, 1967.
George F. Azrak, June 17, 1967.
Theodore L. Newton, Jr., June 17, 1967.
Elgar B. Holliday, October 18, 1967.
Ralph L. Anderson, October 25, 1968.
James G. Burns, December 8, 1968.
Henley M. Goode, Jr., October 11, 1969.
John S. Blue, October 4, 1969.
Friedrich Karl, October 4, 1973.
Edwin C. Dennis, February 4, 1974.
Lee L. Bounds, March 29, 1974.
Glenn A. Phillips, July 8, 1974.
Oscar T. Torres, November 30, 1974.
Joseph P. Gamez, Jr., April 21, 1978.
Weldon Smith, October 19, 1979.
Victor C. Ochoa, March 11, 1983.
Thomas K. Byrd, November 21, 1983.
Manuel Salcido, Jr., January 2, 1985.
Lester L. Haynie, June 14, 1985.
Norman Ray Salinas, August 4, 1986.
John R. McCravey, February 23, 1987.
Josiah B. Mahar, September 23, 1988.
David F. Roberson, July 14, 1989.
Keith Connelly, September 6, 1989.
John D. Keenan, November 27, 1989.
Louis D. Stahl, June 13, 1992.
Jose A. Nava, January 6, 1995.
Luis A. Santiago, March 28, 1995.
Joe R. White, April 18, 1995.
Jefferson L. Barr, January 19, 1996.
Aurelio E. Valencia, January 25, 1996.
Michael W. Barnes, December 12, 1996.
Miguel J. Maldonado, March 10, 1997.
Stephen C. Starch, June 14, 1997.
Alexander Kirpnick, June 3, 1998.
Susan L. Rodriguez, July 7, 1998.
Ricardo G. Salinas, July 7, 1998.
Jesus A. De La Ossa, October 20, 1998.
Thomas J. Williams, October 20, 1998.
Walter S. Panchison, October 23, 1998.
Rene B. Garza, January 20, 1999.
Stephen M. Sullivan, March 27, 1999.

Mr. Speaker, last year and this year, the following agents were
killed protecting our country: Alexander Kirpnick, Susan Rodriguez,
Ricardo Salinas, Jesus De La Ossa, Thomas Williams, Walter Panchison,
Rene Garza, and Stephen Sullivan.
I am proud to have had the opportunity to serve as a member of the
United States Border Patrol.
When I came to Capitol Hill and began my career in Congress, I was
pleased to find that the United States Border Patrol had tremendous
support, some of which this evening has been given by my colleague from
Texas and my colleague from Alabama.
This support has been reflected in the mandate that INS hire an
additional 1,000 Border Patrol agents each year until the year 2001.
This support has been shown time and time again by this Congress
providing funds for the hiring of these agents and, as my colleague
from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee) mentioned, increasing their pay.
As I said, I was proud to add my name to the legislation introduced
by my colleague, the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee), which
would provide pay raises for the majority of our agents.
I am proud to have introduced with my friend and colleagues, the
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Smith) and the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr.
Rogers), legislation to reform the INS and to create two separate
bureaus. Our legislation would ensure that the voices of these hard-
working agents are heard at the highest levels and that their safety
and well-being is priority number one.
Mr. Speaker, let me once again thank my colleagues for their
assistance in getting this bill to the floor. The gentleman from Texas
(Chairman Smith), the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee), the
Republican leadership, and the Democratic leadership all have strongly
supported my efforts, and I want to thank them.
I urge all of my colleagues to support H. Con. Res. 122, which
recognizes the historical significance of the United States Border
Patrol's contribution over the course of the last 75 years of
commitment and service to our great country.
Mr. Speaker, I include for the Record the following poem that was
written by Former Chief of the U.S. Border Patrol Buck Brandemuehl,
entitled ``That Uniform'':

Buck Brandemuehl,

January 10, 1994.

THAT UNIFORM

The other day I went out to the garage to rummage about. I
spied this wardrobe along the wall. I opened the door and saw
that uniform. You know the one--it's dark green, has a patch
on the shoulder with a blue stripe running down the pants
leg. I took that uniform out and hung it on the door, and
then sat back to reminisce awhile.
I remember when I first put that uniform on. I'll bet you
do too. For me it was 1956. I was just out of the academy and
boy was I proud. It seems just like yesterday. How time
flies. Well, it took me a while to realize just what that
uniform stood for and what it represented. For me it
represented the men and women of a great country and the laws
they enforce.
It embodies the old mounted patrol, the first ones to
patrol the line. Did you know that uniform has traversed our
borders for over 75 years? During prohibition when firefights
and loss of life were the norm, the officers wearing that
uniform carried out their mission above and beyond.
Throughout WWII that uniform certainly served its country
well, and since that time it has appeared in some unusual
places such as wounded knee, Indian Town Gap, Fort Chafee,
and St. E's to name but a few.
That uniform has been in inaugurations, and has helped to
provide security for dignitaries, including several of our
Presidents. It has appeared before both houses of Congress to
tell its story, and it has spanned the oceans to become known
internationally. Yes, that uniform has been on the front
lines during the Cuban and the Haitian crises, and the war on
drugs.
I see that uniform now standing at a traffic checkpoint
with the sun beating down. I see it kneeling beside the
railroad tracks and standing steadfastly along a riverbank at
midnight. I see that uniform diving in a canal to save a
life. I see it being worn by one of our pilots on a mercy
flight with a burn victim. And, above all, I see that uniform
standing in honor of one of our fallen.
PRIDE IN OUR PAST . . . FAITH IN OUR FUTURE . . . YOU'RE
DARNED RIGHT!

Mr. Speaker, I would like to conclude my remarks this evening by
reading the last paragraph of that poem.

I see that uniform now standing at a traffic checkpoint
with the sun beating down. I see it kneeling beside the
railroad tracks and standing steadfastly along a riverbank at
midnight. I see that uniform diving in a canal to save a
life. I see it being worn by one of our pilots on a mercy
flight with a burn victim. And, above all, I see that uniform
standing in honor of one of our fallen officers.

Mr. Speaker, the motto of the United States Border Patrol today is
``pride in our past, faith in our future.''
I want to thank the ranking member the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms.
Jackson-Lee) and my colleague the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Bachus)
for their support this evening.
Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, with the eloquent words of the
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Reyes) and the salute that we have given to
the Border Patrol, I want to congratulate him and congratulate the
Border Patrol.
Mr. Speaker, I have no other speakers, and I yield back the balance
of my time.

{time} 1830

Mr. BACHUS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
In recent years, the House Committee on the Judiciary has strongly
supported and greatly appreciated the indispensable work of the border
patrol in combating both illegal immigration and drug smuggling. It was
truly gratifying, I think, to all of us to hear the testimony of the
gentleman from El Paso, TX (Mr. Reyes) talk about the difficult and
dangerous work that they do. Some of us may know, but I think it is
worth noting that he served with the border patrol for some 22 years.
He had an illustrious career with them and was a border patrol chief.
It is the gentleman from Texas that introduced this resolution.
What does the resolution do? It honors the border patrol on the
occasion of their 75th anniversary. How fitting that the person that
introduced that resolution and the primary speaker on the floor was the
gentleman from Texas. This resolution, because he introduced it and
because it is such a worthy and distinguished anniversary, has
bipartisan, widespread support. I would like to conclude by not only
thanking the gentleman from Texas but also thanking the chairman of the
Subcommittee on Immigration the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Smith). He
had business in the district and could not be here. I am managing this
legislation for him. I would also like to commend the ranking member of
the Subcommittee on Immigration the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms.
Jackson-Lee).

[[Page H11929]]

Mr. SMITH of Texas. Mr. Speaker, the founding members of today's U.S.
Border Patrol were Texas Rangers, sheriffs, and cowboys who patrolled
the Texas frontier looking for smugglers, rustlers, and illegal aliens.
From their rough beginnings they have grown into a present-day force of
over 8,000 full time Border Patrol agents and supporting staff.
The 1996 immigration reform law, which I introduced, authorized the
hiring of 5,000 additional Border Patrol agents over 5 years. So far
more than 2,000 agents have been added to the force in just the past 3
years.
This has had a significant positive effect in deterring and reducing
illegal immigration and drug trafficking. However, the Clinton
administration has continued to oppose increasing the size of the
Border Patrol, despite widespread support and proven results.
The Border Patrol, which must guard 8,000 miles of border against
drug smugglers, alien smugglers, criminals, and terrorists, still has
fewer personnel than the Chicago city police department. The
administration's own drug czar, General Barry McCaffrey, estimated that
at least 20,000 Border Patrol agents are needed to control the flow of
drugs into our country. And a recent academic study estimated that
16,000 agents are needed for the Southwestern border alone.
I hope this great 75th anniversary of the Border Patrol will give the
administration one more opportunity to reconsider its opposition to
increasing the ranks of the Border Patrol.
But the administration's foot-dragging should not obscure the central
purpose of this resolution, which is to recognize the courage,
dedication, and professionalism of the thousands of American men and
women who have worn the Border patrol uniform with pride and served
their country with distinction.
At great risk and sometimes even at the cost of the lives, Border
Patrol agents have guarded our frontiers for 75 years. By day and by
night, in the blazing hot Southwestern desert and in Rocky Mountain
snowstorms, they have fought and triumphed.
Through this resolution sponsored by my good friend and fellow Texan
Silvestre Reyes, himself a career Border Patrol agent who was
responsible for Operation Hold the Line in El Paso, we honor the Border
Patrol today.
Mr. FILNER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today first to thank my distinguished
colleague Congressman Silvestre Reyes for bringing this tribute to the
floor today. Silver, you have provided a daily, living example to us in
the House of the professionalism and dedication of this great 75-year-
old organization. The Border Patrol is one of the most important law
enforcement organizations in my community of San Diego. It is
responsible for keeping our border community safe. Because of the
Border Patrol, our country and our communities are protected. We are
protected against criminals who would cross the border; we are
protected against drugs that could flow across our border; because of
Operation Gatekeeper, we are protected against the flows of desperate
immigrants running across our backyards and up our freeways; we are
protected because Border Patrol personnel, from the inspectors to the
agents put their lives on the line daily to keep ours safe.
For 75 years, the Border Patrol has acted as one of the first lines
of defense for our country. I want to thank the members of the Border
Patrol and especially honor the 86 members of the Patrol who have lost
their lives so ours could be safe. It is a fitting tribute to them,
this day before Veteran's Day--they are our Veterans in the war to
protect our Border.
Mr. BACHUS. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I
yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Barrett of Nebraska). The question is on
the motion offered by the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Bachus) that the
House suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution, House
Concurrent Resolution 122.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor
thereof) the rules were suspended and the concurrent resolution was
agreed to.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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