[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 30 (Thursday, February 15, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E192]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      RECOGNIZING KEVIN McALEENAN

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. HENRY CUELLAR

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, February 15, 2018

  Mr. CUELLAR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Kevin McAleenan, 
Acting Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP): Mr. 
McAleenan has been chosen as the United States' honoree for the 
prestigious League of United Latin American Citizens Council No. 12 
(LULAC) Senor Internacional award.
  Following his graduation with a Bachelor of Arts from Amherst 
College, Mr. McAleenan earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University 
of Chicago Law School. Thereafter, he worked at a private law firm in 
California. However, he was motivated to work in public service after 
the events of September 11, 2001. He joined the Office of Anti-
Terrorism at U.S. Customs Service, a legacy organization of U.S. 
Customs and Border Protection, where he was eventually named as the 
Director.
  Mr. McAleenan became Acting Commissioner of CBP on January 20th, 
2017. Prior to his role as Acting Commissioner, Mr. McAleenan held 
several leadership positions with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, 
including Deputy Commissioner of CBP and Assistant Commissioner at the 
Office of Field Operations. Upon Mr. McAleenan's appointment to Deputy 
Commissioner, former CBP Commissioner R. Gil Kerlikowske spoke of 
McAleenan highly, saying, ``His dedication, his vision to transform CBP 
and to ensure that we remain the nation's premier law enforcement 
agency, is truly astounding.''
  Throughout his career, Mr. McAleenan worked to increase security at 
the border, improved terrorism detection and response tactics, and 
supervised the trade and travel at over 300 domestic ports of entry. In 
his current role, he has three core missions: counterterrorism, border 
security, and trade enforcement. Mr. McAleenan oversees 60,000 
employees and directs the largest law-enforcement agency in the federal 
government. For his work, Mr. McAleenan received the Service to America 
Medal, Call to Service Award, and in 2015, he was honored with a 
Presidential Rank Award, the nation's highest civil service award.
  Mr. Speaker, I am honored to have the opportunity to recognize Mr. 
Kevin McAleenan. I congratulate him on receiving the prestigious LULAC 
No. 12 Senor Internacional award

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