Congressman Henry Cuellar Hosts Members of Congress and U.S. Secretary in Laredo within 72 Hours

CONGRESSMAN HENRY CUELLAR HOSTS MEMBERS OF CONGRESS AND U.S. SECRETARY IN LAREDO WITHIN 72 HOURS

Washington, DC- Over the last three days, Congressman Henry Cuellar hosted five federal officials in his hometown of Laredo, Texas.

Congressman Aderholt (R-Alabama), Congressman Fortenberry (R-Nebraska), and Congresswoman Jackson-Lee (D-Texas) visited two of Laredo's most heavily traveled trade and pedestrian bridges and participated in a nighttime tour of the border with the purpose of learning about border security and immigration on Tuesday.

"Many Members are surprised to learn that Laredo is home to the busiest inland trade port in the country," said Congressman Cuellar. "Being from the border, I am acutely aware of the problems facing residents and law enforcement agents, and I wanted to provide other Members the opportunity to witness the scale of the situation for themselves," stated Congressman Cuellar.

Senator Menendez (D- New Jersey) also accepted Congressman Cuellar's invitation to visit Laredo to view the trade processes of one of the busiest inland ports in the United States and to discuss other pertinent issues directly affecting the Gateway City on Wednesday. Senator Menendez represents one of the busiest sea ports in the nation. As one of the busiest inland ports in the U.S., Laredo shares many of the same attributes, challenges, and benefits as the Senator's home state. However, Laredo is uniquely positioned on the border and is constantly grappling with illegal immigration concerns and the need for increased border security. In Senator Menendez's words, "Our national security should never take a back seat, but we have to be intellectually honest with ourselves: At the end of the day, our nation's economic prosperity is also extremely important."

United States Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez visited Laredo directly after Senator Menendez on Thursday. While in Laredo, he addressed business and local officials, speaking to the value of commerce in the United States. He focused on the importance of free and fair trade within the context of what NAFTA has produced, what CAFTA aims to achieve, and what progress within the Doha Round -global trade talks across a wide range of issues- has the potential to accomplish for international commerce. Secretary Gutierrez also remarked on the importance of regional cooperation for our economic competitiveness, and his recent trade mission to several of the CAFTA countries.

Congressman Cuellar said, "The last 72 hours have been an important opportunity for Laredoans to share their local perspective with some of our country's most influential policy makers. For years, immigration, border security and trade have been some of Laredo's top priorities. Recent debates surrounding our nation's policies on such matters have drawn additional attention to Laredo and it was especially important for me to invite these federal officials to witness this complex situation firsthand."

Congressman Henry Cuellar is a member of the House Budget and Agriculture committees in the 109th Congress; accessibility to constituents, education, health care and economic development are his priorities.

http://www.house.gov/apps/list/press/tx28_cuellar/060421.html