[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 14]
[House]
[Pages 18788-18789]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   AMERICA EVEN BETTER THAN WAL-MART

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Poe) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, some say it's the best part of Wal-Mart, those 
happy greeters wearing a smiley face like this one I have here, giving 
helpful directions, giving coupons away. Others say these greeters even 
help with shoplifting. I just love Wal-Mart and those greeters. If a 
product is not at Wal-Mart, you just don't need it. Wal-Mart greeters 
make a good place even better.
  However, the same could not be said of our national greeters. When I 
look at our southern border, I see policies that have turned our Border 
Patrol into an army of glorified gun-toting Wal-Mart greeters. They 
stop some of the thieves from coming into America, but they seem to end 
up acting like our official greeters, because our government has tied 
their hands.
  Our government seems to be more concerned about the people who enter 
America illegally than our border agents, those that are already here 
and charged with protecting our border. Their work is subject to 
extensive intimidation by the Mexican Government, because Mexico 
doesn't want their own citizens, so they send them to the United 
States. Mexico uses treaties and lawsuits to give their citizens the 
protection that even Americans don't have.
  The Mexican Government even gives illegals, heading north, maps so 
they can know where they illegally enter the United States and confront 
our border agents. Mexico is handing out shopping carts and the store 
directory to the virtual Wal-Mart, America.
  But because we don't secure the border, we are opening up our aisles. 
But our version of Wal-Mart has an even better deal for these invaders, 
because it's all free. The American taxpayer pays for everything the 
illegals take from our Nation.
  Take for instance, aisle number one, free health care. Mexico won't 
take care of its citizens, so the United States has become the free HMO 
of Mexico. It is a known fact that there are signs in Mexico telling 
expectant mothers what clinics across the border can deliver their 
anchor babies. Once those babies get sick, aisle one is the place where 
all their health care needs can be met: doctors, free health insurance, 
formulas, immunizations with no questions asked, and, of course, no 
bills. What a deal.
  Aisle number two, it's the best education money can buy. Illegals 
enroll their child, and they can go to school through the 12th grade 
for free. In Mexico, that government only educates their children 
through the sixth grade. So the government says, go to America. The 
Americans will give you a free education in our language, Spanish, and 
if the student is hungry or needs after-school care, don't worry, aisle 
number two has free hot lunches, free after-school programs and, after 
all, our Wal-Mart only has the best.
  We can't forget aisle number three. For all your identification 
needs, we have matricular cards for these illegals. Plenty of States 
and even the government accepts them for driver's licenses, Social 
Security and even fake IDs.
  Let us go to aisle number four, free Social Security benefits for you 
and your kids. Aisle number five. It's free welfare to illegals, food 
stamps, housing, day care.
  Mr. Speaker, I did not come up with the idea of calling our border 
agents Wal-Mart greeters. The truth is, that's what they call 
themselves. Because they know they are on the side of the American law, 
but the American law is not really on their side. They end up appearing 
to greet illegals instead of having the authority to send them back 
home.
  If border agents are really allowed to do their job, our government 
doesn't seem to back them up. Today, Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean, 
two Border Patrol agents who shot a Mexican drug dealer, are being 
punished by a disloyal American government for just doing their job. 
After all, shooting a drug smuggler is no way for a greeter to act.
  A border agent told me in Laredo recently that agents are told by 
supervisors at our legal ports of entry, quote, We are a port of entry, 
not a port of denial. So when in doubt, let people in, don't keep them 
out.
  What an absurd policy for security, but a great greeter policy. Our 
Border Patrol agents should not be Wal-Mart greeters. They are law 
enforcement officers. They need American policy that is very clear. 
Keep the drug smugglers, the human smugglers and the terrorists out of 
America. Protect the sovereignty of our Nation.
  After all, it is illegal to come to America without permission. It 
makes no difference what the Sly Fox of Mexico or his replacement, 
Commander Calderon, think. It is still our country. Unless we are 
serious about border security and have firm, well-defined laws on 
border security, we may as well replace the badge our Border Patrol 
agents wear with a smiley face of a Wal-Mart greeter.
  And that's just the way it is.

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