[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 62 (Tuesday, April 28, 2015)]
[House]
[Pages H2481-H2483]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
RAUL HECTOR CASTRO PORT OF ENTRY
Mr RYAN of Wisconsin. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and
pass the bill (H.R. 1075) to designate the United States Customs and
Border Protection Port of Entry located at First Street and Pan
American Avenue in Douglas, Arizona, as the ``Raul Hector Castro Port
of Entry''.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 1075
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. RAUL HECTOR CASTRO PORT OF ENTRY.
(a) Designation.--The United States Customs and Border
Protection Port of Entry located at First Street and Pan
American Avenue in Douglas, Arizona, shall be known and
designated as the ``Raul Hector Castro Port of Entry''.
(b) References.--Any reference in a law, map, regulation,
document, paper, or other record of the United States to the
port of entry referred to in subsection (a) shall be deemed
to be a reference to the ``Raul Hector Castro Port of
Entry''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Wisconsin (Mr. Ryan) and the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Grijalva) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Wisconsin.
General Leave
Mr. RYAN of Wisconsin. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all
Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend
their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 1075 currently
under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Wisconsin?
There was no objection.
Mr. RYAN of Wisconsin. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
[[Page H2482]]
Mr. Speaker, this bill would designate the United States Customs and
Border Protection Port of Entry located at First Street and Pan
American Avenue in Douglas, Arizona, as the Raul Hector Castro Port of
Entry.
Raul Hector Castro was a distinguished public servant who served in
both elected and nonelected public services, in offices such as the
Governor of Arizona and a United States Ambassador.
Mr. Castro was the first Mexican American to be elected Governor of
Arizona, and he served as United States Ambassador to Bolivia, El
Salvador, and Argentina. He will be remembered with respect for his
lifelong dedication and his many contributions to his country.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate the gentleman from Arizona
(Mr. Grijalva) and thank him for bringing this to our attention and for
being the author of this legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Wisconsin and the leadership
on the other side of the aisle for expediting this particular request--
I am very appreciative--and to all the members of the Arizona
delegation for their concurrence with this designation.
I am proud to offer this bill today to recognize a man that not only
led a tremendous life of public service, but served as a personal hero
to many of us in Arizona, as well as the Nation.
His story is one worth sharing. By designating the Douglas Port of
Entry as the Raul Hector Castro Port of Entry, we will ensure the story
continues to be memorialized and told; and in the future, when a
revitalized port is designated for Douglas, Arizona, it will continue
to bear his name.
Mr. Castro was the embodiment of the American Dream and, despite all
the odds, he proved that, with perseverance and courage, all dreams can
be achieved.
Mr. Castro's story, like many Americans today, begins south of the
border. Born June 12, 1916, in Cananea, Mexico, Mr. Castro grew up in
Arizona and graduated from Douglas High School.
He was the second youngest in a family of 12 children. His father was
a union leader forced out of Mexico for organizing the mine in Cananea.
His father died when Castro was only 12 years old, and his mother
became a midwife to feed the family.
Growing up on the U.S.-Mexico border near Douglas, Arizona, Castro
learned many life lessons, especially when it came to the issues of
prejudice and injustice. He often spoke of walking 5 miles to a
segregated school while White children rode a bus to another school.
He was keenly aware of the difference in the quality of jobs
available to men and women that looked like him. This early prejudice
and discrimination ultimately became his enduring motivation.
A moment engraved in his memory is when, despite not being able to
properly pronounce his name, Castro realized his grammar school teacher
truly cared for him and wanted him to be a good student. Castro
embraced this encouragement and became an even more determined student
than he was.
A stellar student, an athlete, his enthusiasm continued through
college. After graduation, after being denied a teaching job because of
his race, he went on to work in the field picking sugar beets and at
the Douglas mining smelter, where he was paid half the wages of his
White counterparts.
Still undeterred, he landed a job with the U.S. Consulate in the
border city of Agua Prieta, Mexico. Then, despite being told it was
impossible, he fought to enter law school and eventually graduated with
a J.D. from the University of Arizona. He excelled and went on to be
the first elected Mexican American county attorney and, later, the
first Mexican American judge in the Pima County Superior Court.
This was just the beginning of Castro's improbable journey. He went
on to serve as U.S. Ambassador to three Latin American countries.
Lyndon Johnson sent him to El Salvador and Bolivia, where he stayed for
a short time under President Nixon before returning to Arizona and
making the first of two bids for Governor.
After two of the closest gubernatorial elections in State history,
Castro once again trumped all odds and became the State's first Latino
elected to serve as Governor. He defeated his opponent by less than 1
percentage point and recalls being 4,000 votes behind until the Navajo
voters' ballots were counted, and that turned out to be the margin of
his victory. Castro served 2\1/2\ years as Governor before resigning,
when President Carter asked him to be Ambassador to Argentina.
Let me quote directly from Raul Castro's memoir published in 2009,
appropriately entitled, ``Adversity Is My Angel.''
The introduction starts:
Raul H. Castro's unlikely but distinguished professional
career suggests that the adversity inherent in his humble
beginnings only hardened his resolve and strengthened his
determination. He was born into grinding poverty and minority
status on the U.S.-Mexico border, but eventually overcame
these obstacles to become, among other titles, Arizona's
first Hispanic Governor. Castro's story, which suggests much
about the human spirit and the hope of the American Dream, is
one that ought to be told.
In that introduction, it continues:
Yet, in spite of such a disadvantaged beginning, Castro
found a way to get an education and embark on his path to the
prominent positions that he held in his lifetime, beginning
as a teacher, then a lawyer, then a Pima County Attorney,
Superior Court Judge, the Governor of Arizona, an American
Ambassador to El Salvador, Bolivia, and Argentina. Though
Castro suffered innumerable instances of social and racial
discrimination, he overcame institutional and personal
prejudice to attain the life he deserved.
Raul Castro's career and service serve as dual role models,
not only for Mexican Americans, but for all Americans.
He said:
At the time I moved to Tucson, just after the cessation of
hostilities in World War II, the public school system was
instrumental in the subordination, rather than the
advancement, of Mexican students. They were put in vocational
classes and discouraged from attending college.
I decided, what a terrible waste of brain power.
In Governor Castro's own words, he said at the time: ``I intended to
take a different track and buck that trend.''
Indeed, he did buck that trend and opened a new path in public
service for many of us, including myself. Castro credits the challenges
faced to shaping his character and understood that education was the
ultimate path to a better life. To him, the far most important part of
the legacy was to inspire Mexican American children and all children to
aspire to do great things, even in the face of adversity.
Even in his nineties, Castro continued to work with underrepresented
and poor students to encourage them to pursue higher education, to get
their education, and to use the obstacles as motivation to make their
life better for others.
This bill recognizes an extraordinary pioneer that dedicated his life
to public service and to the fight for equality. I appreciate the
support of the entire Arizona House delegation for honoring this
American legend.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. RYAN of Wisconsin. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may
consume to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Gallego.)
Mr. GALLEGO. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 1075.
I would like to begin by thanking my good friend, Congressman
Grijalva, and the gentleman from Wisconsin for yielding their time and
for authoring this important legislation.
Governor Raul Castro was a trailblazing figure in Arizona history,
and renaming the city of Douglas port of entry in his honor is a
fitting tribute to all that he did for our State and its people.
Mr. Speaker, Governor Castro was the first Mexican American Governor
of our fine State. He also served as Ambassador to Argentina, Bolivia,
and El Salvador.
Governor Castro paved the way for a new generation of politically
active Latinos and immigrants who followed in his footsteps and fought
to make their voices heard. He played an important role in the history
of Arizona and of the Latino rights movement, and we will be forever
indebted to him for his work on behalf of our community.
Governor Castro devoted his entire life to public service. He saw
that Latinos in Arizona needed a voice, and he accepted that challenge.
He worked tirelessly to encourage Hispanics to get involved and
participate in our democracy.
[[Page H2483]]
Mr. Speaker, Governor Castro is an inspiration to Arizonans and
Latinos in public service throughout this country.
I want to thank, again, Congressman Grijalva for his tremendous work
on this legislation, and I urge its passage.
Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I have no other speakers. Let me thank my
colleague, Mr. Gallego, for his support and his eloquent statements.
And to Mr. Ryan, thank you again for expediting and having this vote
today.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. RYAN of Wisconsin. Mr. Speaker, I will just simply say I
congratulate the Arizona delegation for bringing this bipartisan bill
to the floor. It is a fitting tribute to a man who has an important
place in history.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Ryan) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, H.R. 1075.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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