[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 3 (Wednesday, January 13, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E21]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      RECOGNITION FOR CHIEF ROBERT W. GILBERT, U.S. BORDER PATROL

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                        HON. GABRIELLE GIFFORDS

                               of arizona

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, January 13, 2010

  Ms. GIFFORDS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Robert W. 
Gilbert, who is leaving his position as Chief Patrol Agent of the 
United States Border Patrol Tucson Sector to become the Department of 
Homeland Security Attache in Mexico.
  As the representative of one of only ten congressional districts on 
the U.S.-Mexico border, I have worked closely with Chief Gilbert in the 
ongoing effort to secure our border. Chief Gilbert has been relentless 
in his pursuit of this goal, and for that, every American owes him a 
tremendous debt of gratitude.
  During his time in Tucson, Chief Gilbert never lost sight of the fact 
that our border is more than a boundary separating two nations. He 
knows that our border with Mexico is a conduit for trade through which 
hundreds of millions of dollars of vital goods and services flow each 
year. He is also acutely aware of the negative impact on local 
residents, ranchers and businesses caused by the criminal cartels that 
smuggle people and drugs across the border and into our communities.
  Chief Gilbert followed his father into the Border Patrol and has 
carried out assignments in San Diego, El Paso and on the Canadian 
border. In March 2007, he was named Chief Patrol Agent of the Tucson 
Sector, the Nation's largest and most active border region.
  Chief Gilbert supervises more than 3,200 agents who patrol 262 miles 
of international border. The agents who work for him account for the 
highest number of drug seizures and illegal immigrant apprehensions in 
the Nation. Chief Gilbert has called the Tucson Sector ``ground zero 
for the Border Patrol.'' When he was asked whether being assigned to 
such a busy part of the border was a reward or a punishment, Chief 
Gilbert called his posting ``an honor.'' It has been no less an honor 
for those of us who have had the opportunity to work with him.
  Representing the Eighth Congressional District in Southeastern 
Arizona, I have had the privilege of witnessing first-hand the Border 
Patrol's important work. It has been a highlight of my time in Congress 
to meet the men and women of the Tucson Sector of the Border Patrol who 
serve in one of the most challenging and rugged regions in our country.
  Under Chief Gilbert's exceptional leadership, great progress has been 
achieved in making our border more secure. In just the first three 
months of fiscal year 2010, agents in the Tucson Sector arrested 51,111 
people and seized 270,418 pounds of marijuana. In fiscal year 2009, 
agents in the Tucson Sector seized an all-time national record of more 
than 1.2 million pounds of marijuana.
  It is clear on many levels that Chief Gilbert and the men and women 
under his command are gaining control of the most porous area of our 
border with Mexico.
  In addition to implementing effective new strategies to deal with the 
high volume of drug and human smuggling, Chief Gilbert and his team 
have been most responsive to my inquiries on behalf of constituents and 
they have reached out to build positive relationships with local 
residents, ranchers and business owners. The Chief established regular 
meetings of community stakeholders which have resulted in stronger 
partnerships between the Border Patrol and the citizens who live along 
the border. He has gone to great lengths to establish better 
understanding and communications with the community including his mule 
ride along the border with area ranchers to directly inspect the 
effects that smuggling has had on their land and operations.
  In a 2009 interview with Linda Valdez, a columnist with the Arizona 
Republic, Chief Gilbert talked about the enthusiasm he has for his job. 
``If you can't get excited about defending the United States of 
America, you don't have a pulse,'' he said.
  Each day, the agents supervised by Chief Gilbert confront armed 
smugglers, harsh desert terrain and weather extremes to keep us safe. 
Each day, they and Chief Gilbert illustrate what it means to be 
dedicated to duty and to country.
  While enormous credit rightfully goes to Chief Gilbert for Border 
Patrol successes since he arrived on the job, we also recognize the 
great sacrifices that have been made by his family. His wife Lia and 
children Matthew and Sophia have been there to support the Chief 
through his many long days and weekends at work. The strength of his 
family has played a vital role in sustaining the Chief in his tireless 
service to the Nation. We thank them for all they have done for him 
and, through him, for all of us.
  On behalf of the people of Arizona's Eighth Congressional District, I 
am proud to give the highest commendation to Chief Robert W. Gilbert 
for a job very well done. This man is a true patriot, who has served 
our region and the Nation with selflessness, integrity and honor.

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