[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 19]
[House]
[Page 26129]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 HONORING THE SERVICE OF FORMER BORDER PATROL CHIEF GUSTAVO DE LA VINA

  (Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Madam Speaker, on October 26 of 
this year, this country lost a great public servant and defender of its 
borders, former Border Patrol Chief Gustavo De La Vina.
  Known as ``the Chief'' to the people that he worked with, Chief De La 
Vina passed away this Monday while on assignment in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
  He was born and raised in Edinburg, Texas. He lived on the border and 
worked on the border all of his life. Entering the Border Patrol as an 
agent in 1970, he rose through the ranks and 27 years later was 
appointed our Chief of the Border Patrol. This was in 1997. And upon 
his retirement in 2004, we called upon the Chief again to serve, and he 
became an adviser to the International Criminal Investigative Training 
Assistance Program within the Department of Justice.
  My condolences go to his family and to the men and women who had the 
honor to serve with him in the uniform of green, who served with him 
for the last 34 years.
  Gus, we will miss you.

                          ____________________