[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 5]
[House]
[Page 7283]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      THE AMAZING BORDER SHERIFFS

  (Mr. POE asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, the United States is intending to send $1.4 
billion in taxpayer money to Mexico to fight the cartel drug criminals 
on the border. This may sound good on the surface, but there are 
problems with sending money south of the border. It's an unfortunate 
reality that border corruption exists between Mexican law enforcement 
and the drug cartels. America has no assurance that some of that money 
or equipment won't end up in the very hands of the people we're trying 
to stop.
  This $1.4 billion would be better spent if it stayed in America. It 
should go to the Border Sheriffs Coalition. These are hard-nosed lawmen 
from Brownsville, Texas, to San Diego, California, that operate on a 
shoestring budget, and they know better how to stop the drug smugglers 
and coyotes from entering their counties. I have met with them numerous 
times along our southern border. These border lawmen are amazing crime 
fighters and protectors of America.
  The 18 Texas border sheriffs unanimously believe that, ``the culture 
of corruption and smuggling both in narcotics and humans and the threat 
of terrorism on the border will increase'' if this money is sent to 
Mexico.
  Mr. Speaker, let's help out our first responders and give them the 
tools to fight crime on the border and keep the money in America.
  And that's just the way it is.

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