[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 72 (Wednesday, May 14, 2003)]
[House]
[Pages H4024-H4027]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
KRIS EGGLE MEMORIAL VISITORS' CENTER IN ORGAN PIPE NATIONAL MONUMENT IN
ARIZONA
Mr. RADANOVICH. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 1577) to designate the visitors' center in Organ Pipe
National Monument in Arizona as the ``Kris Eggle Memorial Visitors'
Center'', and for other purposes, as amended.
[[Page H4025]]
The Clerk read as follows:
H.R. 1577
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. REDESIGNATION.
(a) Finding.--Congress finds that in August 2002, Kris
Eggle, a 28-year-old park ranger in Organ Pipe Cactus
National Monument, was murdered in the line of duty along the
border between the United States and Mexico.
(b) Dedication.--Congress dedicates the visitor center in
Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument to Kris Eggle and to
promoting awareness of the risks taken each day by all public
land management law enforcement officers.
(c) Redesignation.--The visitor center in Organ Pipe Cactus
National Monument in Arizona is hereby designated as the
``Kris Eggle Visitor Center''.
(d) Reference.--Any reference to the visitor center in
Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument in Arizona, in any law,
regulation, map, document, record, or other paper of the
United States shall be considered to be a reference to the
``Kris Eggle Visitor Center''.
(e) Signage.--The Secretary of the Interior shall post
interpretive signs at the visitor center and at the trailhead
of the Baker Mine-Milton Mine Loop that--
(1) describe the important role of public law enforcement
officers in protecting park visitors;
(2) refer to the tragic loss of Kris Eggle in underscoring
the importance of these officers;
(3) refer to the dedication of the trail and the visitor
center by Congress; and
(4) include a copy of this Act and an image of Kris Eggle.
(f) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized
to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary to carry out
this Act.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
California (Mr. Radanovich) and the gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands
(Mrs. Christensen) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California (Mr. Radanovich).
{time} 1100
Mr. RADANOVICH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
H.R. 1577, introduced by the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Tancredo)
and amended by the Committee on Resources, would designate the
visitors' center at the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument as the Kris
Eggle Visitor Center. Kris Eggle was a 28-year-old park ranger at the
monument who was brutally murdered last year in the line of duty by
members of a Mexican drug gang along the Arizona-Mexico border. Kris
had served the visitors of Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument since
the year 2000, and before that he was a park ranger at Sleeping Bear
Dunes National Lakeshore in his native Michigan.
Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman
from Colorado (Mr. Tancredo), the author of this important legislation.
Mr. TANCREDO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge passage of H.R. 1577,
a bill that would name the visitors' center in Organ Pipe Cactus
National Monument in Arizona for Kris Eggle, a park ranger who lost his
life in the line of duty. I want to thank the gentleman from Michigan
(Mr. Hoekstra), who has worked tirelessly with me on this legislation,
and also Senator McCain, who is carrying the bill in the other body. I
would also like to thank Chairman Radanovich and Chairman Pombo for
their work on the bill and allowing it to be brought to the floor for
consideration today.
Mr. Speaker, Kris Eggle was a brilliant young park ranger in one of
the most beautiful units of the National Park System when he was killed
last summer by a drug smuggler who had crossed into the United States
after committing two murders in Mexico. Last August, Kris and three
U.S. Border Patrol officers responded after Mexican police reported
that two armed fugitives had fled across the border into the U.S. A
Border Patrol helicopter directed Eggle and the other officers to where
the suspects had abandoned their vehicle. Kris pursued them on foot,
apprehending one of the suspects before he was killed. Kris was 28
years old.
I have personally visited Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument on
numerous occasions. I also had the opportunity is one way to put it, I
guess, the duty, and I certainly accepted that, to go down to Arizona
and go to Kris' funeral and speak briefly at his funeral. It was a very
moving event, a very emotional event as one can imagine with all of his
colleagues and friends there in attendance. The area is certainly one
of the most beautiful units in the National Park System. It is,
unfortunately, also one of the most dangerous. According to the
Fraternal Order of Police, it is a magnet for illegal aliens and drug
smugglers. Some 200,000 illegal border-crossers and 700,000 pounds of
drugs were intercepted at the park last year, a fact that rangers like
Kris who at this very moment are patrolling the vast and remote
expanses of Organ Pipe know all too well.
Kris, like many BLM, Park Service and Forest Service law enforcement
officers, was on the frontlines of a battlefield we pay far too little
attention to. He gave his life in service to this country. We should
all be proud of his heroism. We should not forget.
By passing this bill today, I hope we can both memorialize Kris'
personal sacrifice to this Nation and remind the American people of the
perils faced and sacrifices made by those who work each day to patrol
the parks, refuges and forests, particularly those located along our
increasingly dangerously porous international borders.
Mr. RADANOVICH. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from
Michigan (Mr. Hoekstra).
Mr. HOEKSTRA. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this
time, and I thank Chairman Pombo and Chairman Radanovich for their
support in moving this bill, moving it expeditiously, and that we have
today the honor of passing this piece of legislation through the House.
This week Kris Eggle will not only be memorialized here on the floor
of the House, he will also be memorialized at the memorial for slain
police officers, officers who died in the line of duty. His family is
in town this week, and his friends from all over the country are here
to recognize an outstanding young man whose life was cut short.
H.R. 1577 is a bill to honor National Park Service Ranger Kris Eggle,
who was murdered on duty last August in Organ Pipe National Monument, a
National Park Service unit deep in the American Southwest. It is
absolutely a beautiful and a gorgeous part of the American Southwest. I
had the opportunity to visit there earlier this year with Kris' dad,
Bob Eggle. This bill designates the visitors' center in Organ Pipe as
the Kris Eggle Visitors' Center, dedicated to the legacy and memory of
Kris.
Who was Kris Eggle? Let me give a little bit of background about
Kris. Kris was a 28-year-old National Park Service ranger. He was
assigned to the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument at the time of his
death. My colleague has given us a little bit of the details about
that, but if we go back, Kris was one of the best of the best. He
graduated as valedictorian of Cadillac High School in 1991. He was an
accomplished cross-country runner at Cadillac High School. He went on
to be a top cross-country runner at the University of Michigan where he
graduated with honors in 1995.
After graduation, he chose government service as the field where he
was going to commit his life. He joined the National Park Service. He
served at the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore where he served as
a ranger on both the North and South Manitou Islands. He had been
stationed in Arizona since 2000. That is a little bit about the
background.
The area where Kris served is a magnet for illegal aliens and Mexican
smugglers. Some 200,000 illegal border-crossers and 700,000 pounds of
drugs were intercepted at the park last year. Nonetheless, Kris
embraced his job. He was always cheerful, a model citizen, a
quintessential American boy turned ranger. He baked chocolate chip
cookies for his fellow rangers and entertained them with songs while on
duty.
Bob Eggle said Kris was where he wanted to be and he did what he
wanted to do. He grew up on the family farm. He was an Eagle Scout, a
devout Baptist and fleet-footed. His speed and his dedication may have
been what cost him his life. He and three U.S. Border Patrol officers
responded after Mexican police reported that two armed fugitives had
fled across the border into the U.S. A Border Patrol helicopter gave
chase and directed Kris and the other officers to where three suspects
had ditched their vehicle. The
[[Page H4026]]
American officers pursued the fugitives on foot. One of the Mexican
nationals was caught. The other ambushed Kris. Kris was shot, and he
passed away.
Kris, like all of his other fellow employees, took an oath to swear
his allegiance to this country. Kris did his job. He did it
magnificently. Today we honor his memory by dedicating the visitors'
center in Organ Pipe National Monument, but more importantly the
responsibility of this Congress is also to deal with the causes of
Kris' death. We have a border that looks more like Swiss cheese, allows
illegals to cross the border indiscriminately, and allows drugs to flow
across the border. This Congress needs to move forward and respond and
to recognize that this is a Nation of laws, and that we will respond
and enforce the laws and enforce our borders.
Again I thank my colleague for the time and moving this bill forward.
Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
(Mrs. CHRISTENSEN asked and was given permission to revise and extend
her remarks.)
Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1577, as amended, honors the life
and work of a national park ranger killed in the line of duty by
renaming the visitors' center at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument in
Arizona as the Kris Eggle Visitors' Center. This wonderful young man
whom we just heard about from my colleagues was murdered while on
patrol in the national monument in August 2002. His untimely and
senseless death reminds us all of the dangers faced daily by Federal
employees who protect park resources and visitors.
Unfortunately, Kris Eggle's death was not the only one of a National
Park Service employee last year. This afternoon the National Park
Service will host a ceremony honoring three national park rangers,
including Kris, and one U.S. Park Police officer who died last year in
the line of duty in service to the National Park Service and to the
Nation.
Mr. Speaker, we enthusiastically support the adoption of H.R. 1577,
as amended, by the House today.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. RADANOVICH. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from
Michigan (Mr. Camp).
Mr. CAMP. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this
time. I, too, rise in support of H.R. 1577, the Kris Eggle Memorial
Center Designation Act. This bill honors National Park Service Ranger
Kris Eggle, who was murdered on August 9, 2002, by an illegal alien and
suspected drug smuggler while on duty in Organ Pipe Cactus National
Monument in Arizona.
H.R. 1577 designates the visitors' center in Organ Pipe National
Monument in Arizona as the Kris Eggle Memorial Visitors' Center. Kris,
a native of Cadillac, Michigan, was just 28 years old at the time of
his death. He died doing a job he loved, and his commitment to
safeguarding America's natural treasures commands our deepest
appreciation. I support this legislation that will pay tribute to his
life and ideals.
The legislation directs the Secretary of the Interior to post signs
at the center and on the trail that describe the important role of
public law enforcement officers in protecting park visitors. The signs
will also refer to the tragic loss of Kris Eggle, the dedication of the
trail and visitors' center by Congress, and will include a copy of this
act and Kris' picture. I believe this legislation will succeed in
reminding people of the sacrifices made by those who work each day to
protect America.
Let me just talk for a moment about Kristopher William Eggle, the
man. As I learned more about him, I became even more impressed with his
life and, yes, angry at his loss. He was an individual of amazing
accomplishments for his young age, Eagle Scout, National Honor Society
student, valedictorian of Cadillac High School. An athlete in high
school, he went on to run track at the University of Michigan. But I
think more importantly his leadership skills and the quality of person
that he was makes this even more tragic as we think about it.
I would like to express my deepest and heartfelt sympathy to the
friends and family of Kris Eggle for their loss. I would also like to
thank the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Tancredo) and the gentleman from
Michigan (Mr. Hoekstra) for bringing this legislation to the floor and
urge my colleagues to support this measure. As the chairman of
Subcommittee on Infrastructure and Border Security, I look forward to
working with my colleagues to make sure that this never happens again.
Mr. RADANOVICH. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from
Indiana (Mr. Souder).
(Mr. SOUDER asked and was given permission to revise and extend his
remarks.)
Mr. SOUDER. Mr. Speaker, first I, too, want to thank the gentleman
from Colorado (Mr. Tancredo), the gentleman from Michigan (Mr.
Hoekstra), the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Shadegg) and others who have
been down on the border. We held a hearing there in the Subcommittee on
Criminal Justice, Drug Policy and Human Resources just weeks ago,
particularly going down to Organ Pipe, one of our more beautiful
national monuments where the cactus, unlike the saguaro, come up, and
hence the name, the Organ Pipe. They have saguaro cactus there as well.
But unfortunately right now because of all the illegal immigrants and
all the drug smuggling moving through that park, one of the most
beautiful hiking trails in the country is sealed off because it is too
dangerous for people to hike there.
When you walk through the park, you see milk containers all over the
place. If they are clear, it means they were water of people walking
into the deserts by the hundreds. You can see them across the line
because we basically have little protection on that border. If they are
black, it is clear they had narcotics and were moving narcotics
through.
The area where this brave ranger was killed is just east of the main
crossing point. It was in a wash. As he and seven other agents from
Customs and Border Patrol and others were trying to capture this
illegal immigrant and drug smuggler, the immigrant, the smuggler, hid
in some bushes. The ranger, as he was being guided by a helicopter
above him, could not see where the shots came from. They hit him, went
through his vest and another protective device, through one side and
the other side of his body.
When he committed to work for the National Park Service, he thought
he was going to be working with people who were trying to cut down
trees or flowers, or who were basically having inner kind of conflicts
in the parks. But we have watched our parks and monuments change into
places, particularly around our borders or in our national forests and
our parks where they are growing marijuana or producing
methamphetamine, into far more dangerous places, endangering not only
our rangers, but the people that are there.
When you walk through this visitors' center at the Organ Pipe and
when you walk through the park headquarters there, you see this young
ranger's picture there. You see many pictures of him. You hear from
every staff person at that park. They miss Kris. They miss the loss
there. All of a sudden it has taken their profession, probably the
highest-rated profession in the United States, and any poll shows that
park rangers and the people who are serving our public parks are
supposed to be a happy place, not a sad place. The parents, when the
gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Hoekstra) brought them in and I met them,
they said, ``We don't want our son's loss to be in vain.''
By naming this visitors' center, it is a reminder to Members of
Congress and the American people that unless we can make our borders
more secure, and I also serve on the subcommittee of the gentleman from
Michigan (Mr. Camp) as well as chairing the narcotics committee, we are
not going to be secure in this country. We do not know who is going to
come across, unless we can do a better job of restricting the narcotics
coming in that are also killing people all over our country. Kris was
out there trying to protect people in Fort Wayne, Indiana, all over
America, by going after this drug dealer.
{time} 1115
But unless we can make those borders more secure, unless we are more
aggressive, we are putting people in our national parks at risk, we are
putting our national forests at risk, everybody else along the borders.
[[Page H4027]]
One last comment. As we start to address the problems of Organ Pipe,
we have pushed it over to the Tohono O'odham Indian Reservation next
door. The Shadow Wolves, who were just highlighted in ``Smithsonian
Magazine'' a couple months ago as well as ``People Magazine,'' are now
threatened with disbandment, that what we saw when we did our hearing,
we saw four busts while we were doing the hearing of 1,500 pounds more
than they seized all of last year in this Indian reservation, and we
need to understand that while we are naming this monument after Kris
and saying we are going to remember him and the people who sacrificed
like him, that we also have to think of the adjacent areas and do not
just push it through the next community as we address this. We have to
get control, responsible control, of our borders, or we will not be
secure in the United States, and hopefully this resolution today will
help remind us of that.
Mr. RADANOVICH. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from
Arizona (Mr. Shadegg).
(Mr. SHADEGG asked and was given permission to revise and extend his
remarks.)
Mr. SHADEGG. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this
time.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this legislation today to
rename the Visitors Center at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument in
honor of Kris Eggle. And I want to thank its sponsor for his efforts
for bringing this measure forward.
As has been mentioned here on the floor, Kris Eggle was an
extraordinary, truly extraordinary young man. I regret that I never got
to know him personally; but as the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Camp)
mentioned, he was a standout by any measure. He was an Eagle Scout, and
I know that makes me proud. My son is an Eagle Scout. He was a
valedictorian of his class. But if we run into Kris Eggle's family or
his friends or the people of service that I have had a chance to meet,
we can see that this was an extraordinary young man.
I will tell the Members the story of his death is one that is
extraordinary. He was on the border as a park ranger doing his job when
a radio call came in. There was no obligation for Kris Eggle to jump
into the fray and respond to that radio call. This was a call that
should have been responded to by DEA agents or Customs agents because
it involved drug smuggling by a drug ring, and yet Kris Eggle did not
stay in that border station and do nothing. He left the station and he
raced out into the desert with his colleagues. And as the gentleman
from Indiana (Mr. Souder) just pointed out, he was directed by a
helicopter to where the shots had been fired and to where the suspect
he was looking for was.
Just a few months ago I visited that scene. I was there with Kris's
father, Bob; and we were taken to the very spot where the murder
occurred, and we saw where the gunman stood hiding under a tree and
ambushed Kris, firing at him at literally point-blank range and killing
him.
It is indeed a fitting honor that we should name this visitors center
after him, but there is more to it than that. I met with Kris's parents
this morning, Bob and Bonnie Eggle; and while they are thrilled that
this bill is passing, they are very much devoted to substance. They
care about what happens on the merits. Bob Eggle has spent countless
hundreds of hours on that border trying to do what he can to rebuild
the fence and to try to aid the people that are caring about it. But
just this morning, Bonnie Eggle said to me, Congressman, can we get
more Members of Congress to go visit the border to see what is going on
there so that more might not die?
I urge my colleagues to support this legislation; but I also urge
them to honor Kris Eggle's memory, this extraordinary young man, by
helping us strengthen that border; and I join the gentleman from
Indiana (Mr. Souder) in his comments regarding the Shadow Wolves. The
Shadow Wolves are an extraordinary unit which we cannot allow to be
disbanded, nor can we allow to be taken off of that border.
Mr. RADANOVICH. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I yield
back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Bass). The question is on the motion
offered by the gentleman from California (Mr. Radanovich) that the
House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1577, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor
thereof) the rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
The title was amended so as to read: ``A bill to designate the
visitor center in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument in Arizona as the
``Kris Eggle Visitor Center'', and for other purposes.''.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
____________________