Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2012

Floor Speech

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Mr. CUELLAR. I want to thank both of my colleagues from Texas. It is a program that does work. We have sat down, we have gone to Laredo. We have seen it work in the Del Rio area. We are now working in Laredo.

In fact, the last time we sat with Chief Harris we talked about how we can make this work. They do need some space, and so I certainly want to work with both of my colleagues to make sure we get more of that space, more of the beds to make sure it works.

All we are doing is enforcing a 1954 law that is on the books already, nothing new except enforcing the law. I support what you are doing.

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Mr. CUELLAR. I want to thank my good friend from Texas. I also want to thank the chairman and the ranking member for everything they have done for border security. We really appreciate it.

We just feel that we ought to put a little bit of money to have the OM and, of course, the UAVs. We have gone down to Corpus. We have been there with General Kostelnik, who I think is doing a great job.

What they do is provide ICE, in the sky, flying at 19,000 feet, they can see what is happening, and it provides the intelligence to the State, Federal and local. It is certainly something I support.

I want to thank again my friend, Mr. McCaul, for the work that you have done on this particular amendment.

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Mr. CUELLAR. Again, I want to thank the gentleman from Texas. I want to thank the chairman and the ranking member for the work that they have done for border security.

Again, both Mr. McCaul and I feel that we ought to add a little bit more help to the local sheriffs and the police that get this assistance.

One of the things that we've seen is, of course, making sure that we don't have that spillover coming in from the Republic of Mexico. And by giving this assistance, whether it's the sheriff down there in Brownsville or going all the way up to El Paso, it's something that's needed, and I certainly support my friend to make sure we increase the funding for Stonegarden by the amount he has asked for.

Again, thank you for your leadership, and again, thank you to the chairman and ranking member for the work they have done on border security.

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Mr. CUELLAR. Again, I want to thank my colleague from Texas. And again, I want to thank the chairman and the ranking member for all the work that they have done for border security.

The BEST program is the program that works. Basically what it does is it coordinates State, Federal, local and also our international partners, both Canadians and Mexicans, to work together to make sure that they are able to focus on the same thing, and that is fight transnational crime. It's an idea that worked very well--in fact, it got started in Laredo, Texas. It expanded now to both the northern and southern part of the United States.

And I certainly support my friend to make sure that we work and make sure that the BEST program gets stronger.

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Mr. CUELLAR. I want to thank the chairman and, of course, our ranking member, Mr. Price, for all the work that they have done for border security.

This is an amendment similar to Mr. McCaul's. It adds $32 million to the CBP Air/Marine Interdiction, Operations, Maintenance, and Procurement. It takes $60 million away from the Office of Under Secretary for Management, another $60 million from the Science and Technology Management Administration. Again, this is to purchase at least two additional UAVs and to make sure that they have the operations and maintenance.

I yield back the balance of my time.

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