Honoring the 100th Birthday of the FBI

HONORING THE 100TH BIRTHDAY OF THE FBI -- (Extensions of Remarks - July 25, 2008)

SPEECH OF
HON. HENRY CUELLAR
OF TEXAS
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
THURSDAY, JULY 24, 2008

* Mr. CUELLAR. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the 100th anniversary of the Federal Bureau of Investigation agency, and the brave men and women that work at the FBI Laredo Resident Agency, LRA. The FBI LRA was established in 1943, during the height of World War II, with four Special Agents assigned to the U.S.-Mexico border.

* The FBI LRA was staffed throughout the end of World War II and during the Cold War with a particular focus on counter-espionage and sabotage. The focus changed during the 1960s and 1970s to a spate of new crimes involving fugitives and vehicle theft. The mission of the FBI LRA was expanded to public corruption, interstate theft, fraud, and general property crimes during the 1980s and 1990s. Currently, the FBI LRA investigates terrorism, public corruption, white collar crime, kidnappings, gangs, drug cases, and cyber crime.

* Also, the FBI LRA has established a Joint Terrorism Task Force, JTTF, and a Public Corruption Task Force in the past few years to respond to potential terrorist threats and drug-trafficking violence in the U.S.-Mexico border region. Throughout the decades, the FBI LRA has evolved to meet the crime prevention needs of each decade in its five-county area of Webb, McMullen, La Salle, Zapata, and Jim Hogg, with over 30 Special Agents and support staff. The FBI LRA also works with Laredo Police Department, Office of the Inspector General--Department of Homeland Security, Department of Public Safety, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Protection, and the United States Border Patrol.

* Madam Speaker, I am honored to have had this time to recognize the commitment of our brave men and women at the FBI Laredo Resident Agency and I applaud their efforts to safeguard the lives of my constituents along the U.S.-Mexico border, and to serve their Nation honorably. I thank you for this time.

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