[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 79 (Tuesday, May 7, 2024)]
[House]
[Page H2880]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               PIMA COUNCIL ON AGING SALUTES CENTENARIANS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Arizona (Mr. Ciscomani) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. CISCOMANI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 37th Salute 
to Centenarians recently hosted by the Tucson Medical Center in Pima 
County. It is the largest gathering of all centenarians in the United 
States.
  Honorees include retired generals, race car drivers, actors, and my 
friend Walter Ram, a World War II veteran. I am so grateful to 
represent them in Congress.
  Arizona's Sixth District has more than 143 centenarians, making this 
the largest centenarian gathering in the United States.
  I will continue to fight for our seniors in Congress. Recently, I 
introduced, with Don Davis from North Carolina, the Oversight of 
Medicare Billing Code Cost Act, which will increase transparency with 
the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid. We must do everything in our 
power to protect Medicare and Medicaid for our seniors.
  I am so proud to be representing great people like this in the 
district and will continue to fight for our seniors like this group of 
great centenarians.


              Congratulating Deputy Chief Lawrence Boutte

  Mr. CISCOMANI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Deputy Chief 
Lawrence, known by his friends as Butch, Boutte on his retirement from 
the Sierra Vista Police Department in March.
  With a law enforcement career spanning 26 years, Butch was committed 
to serving his community both on and off the force. His knowledge and 
leadership skills helped to shape the Sierra Vista police station.
  Even before his career with the police department, Butch was no 
stranger to public service. He served in the Army for 4 years in 
military intelligence as an electronic warfare interceptor/locator.
  Last year, Butch joined 11 other Arizonans in being recognized by the 
Canyon Vista Medical Center and the Legacy Foundation of Southeast 
Arizona in their Veterans Wall Ceremony.
  As he enjoys a well-deserved retirement, he leaves behind an 
incredible legacy in Sierra Vista.
  Laura and I join the entire community of Sierra Vista, Cochise 
County, and Arizona's Sixth District in thanking the deputy chief for 
his service. Men and women like him, who dedicate their lives to the 
safety of their neighbors, represent the very best of us.


                          Our Border is Broken

  Mr. CISCOMANI. Mr. Speaker, let me be clear: Our border is broken and 
has been for a long time.
  For 3 years, Americans across the Nation, and especially in border 
communities like mine, are suffering the consequences of this historic 
crisis every single day.
  The ineffective open-border policies implemented by Homeland Security 
Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas have made our country less safe at a time 
when the world is most dangerous.
  Disturbingly, new documents subpoenaed by the Homeland Security 
Committee uncover the egregious lengths Secretary Mayorkas goes to to 
ensure inadmissible migrants are let into the United States. The 
committee found that DHS used over 50 airports, including in my home 
State of Arizona, to help illegally process more than 400,000 
inadmissible migrants into the country through their unlawful mass 
parole program.
  Implementing this program was not done for the benefit of the public 
or for urgent humanitarian need. It was done as an unlawful sleight of 
hand by Secretary Mayorkas to hide the true scale of the crisis he 
created from the American people.

                              {time}  1030

  The Immigration and Nationality Act clearly states that parole may 
only be granted on a case-by-case basis for significant public benefit 
or urgent humanitarian need.
  These flights are none of these things. Granting mass parole to 
hundreds of thousands of inadmissible migrants in this district is in 
direct violation of the law and is yet another in a long list of 
failures by the DHS Secretary that has been derelict in his duties.

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