[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 69 (Thursday, May 22, 1997)]
[House]
[Page H3174]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      THE BORDER IS OUT OF CONTROL

  (Mr. BILBRAY asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. BILBRAY. Mr. Speaker, there is a lot of discussion this morning 
about the budget, and the Democrats and the Republicans going back and 
forth here.
  Let me ask my colleagues on the other side of the aisle and my 
colleagues on this side of the aisle to consider one thing that 
happened this week that has not been talked about here on the House 
floor.
  A young man was sitting in his vehicle doing his job for the United 
States this week at 3 o'clock Saturday night, and somebody on the other 
side of the Mexican border took a high-powered rifle, walked on to an 
overpass, and fired 17 rounds at this young man in his twenties. One 
bullet grazed his head, the other went through his left shoulder and 
the flying glass through his windshield took out, maybe has lost his 
left eye.
  I only say this so my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, as we 
debate back and forth, are sensitized of the fact of reality out along 
our frontier. I ask all of my colleagues to remember that this man was 
doing his job for us, and there was an assassination attempt on this 
individual with a high-powered rifle from a foreign country.
  The border is out of control, I say to my colleagues. If we think 
that we have problems here, please come and look at that. I say this: 
This is one of five instances in the last few weeks where an officer 
has had to use a firearm to protect themselves. Please join, both 
Democrats and Republicans, to address this issue comprehensively.

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