[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 11]
[House]
[Pages 15299-15306]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              IMMIGRATION

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 5, 2011, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Carter) is recognized 
for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader.
  Mr. CARTER. Mr. Speaker, I've been appearing on the floor of this 
House now for quite a while talking about regulations, but information 
has come to my attention from a report that was prepared by a group of 
people in the Texas government about problems that are way beyond 
anything that many people are perceiving concerning what's going on on 
the border between Texas and Mexico in this ongoing immigration crisis 
that we have in America. And quite honestly, it's so concerning that 
tonight we're going to talk about--I'm going to talk about it, and I 
hope we will be joined by some of my colleagues--the actual crisis that 
is going on with the criminal element that has gathered across the 
border from Texas with the drug cartels in Mexico.
  I'm going to have some posters here in a few minutes to talk about 
some of these things. But I think that everybody is well aware of the 
fact that we have an issue that is going to have to

[[Page 15300]]

be addressed by this Congress. And that issue is not only that legal 
immigration needs to be worked on and fixed so that we can have an 
immigration policy that actually works in this country, rather than one 
that seems to be haphazard and in many ways subject to the whims of 
people's personal opinions rather than the laws that should be 
established under the rule of immigration law for our country, but this 
whole issue of illegal immigration is compounded and geometrically 
compounded by the fact that massive illegal drug cartels have gathered 
on our border.
  First, remember--and I think all people that have dealt with 
criminology anywhere, anytime will tell you that when you create a 
criminal environment, you have to expect that environment to grow. At 
some point in time in the recent past, the cartels that deliver drugs 
to basically the entire Western World decided to move their operation 
from South America right to the border of the United States, across the 
border in Mexico. And these cartels have been battling each other in 
literally warfare to determine what cartels will dominate the illegal 
importation of drugs and people into this country--and those people 
brought in, in many instances, for illicit purposes, such as 
prostitution.

                              {time}  1850

  The most recent count that I have heard is approximately 44,000 
Mexicans across the border have lost their lives in this war that's 
going on in Mexico. That is a number that, when you look at the 10 
years of warfare our country has been involved in in other places 
around the world, is astronomical. And to think that that's happening.
  I live in Round Rock, Texas, which is approximately close to 200 
miles from the Mexican border. And to think that there's a war going on 
in an area where most Texans have, when there was peace upon the 
border, most Texans visited that area many times during their lifetime 
because those were our friends across that border. Now they're no 
longer our friends, they're our enemies, and not only the enemies of 
all law-abiding people, but they're enemies of mankind because they are 
bringing poison into our Nation in every form and fashion; and they're 
killing each other for the right to do so.
  One of the things that has concerned members of our Texas delegation 
and members of other delegations in this Congress has been, will that 
lawlessness spill over into the United States of America.
  The report that was done by Todd Staples and the Texas Department of 
Public Safety and others in Texas tells us that not only will it spill 
over into our country, but it has spilled over into our country, and 
that there is an evil plan by these cartels to actually come in and try 
to seize control of every border county in Texas that borders on the 
Rio Grande. Now, that's a big project that they are--and, actually, I 
would say it is a plan for the invasion of the United States of 
America.
  This is something we honestly have to address in a serious manner. We 
have a lot of legislation pending. One of the bills that I have that 
connects to this talk today is a bill that will add further assistance 
to the border sheriffs in their war against the illegal element on the 
border.
  Our Border Patrol has grown to an enormous body, and they are 
involved in this war on the border. Currently, the Texas Rangers have a 
task force on the border. They are the elite law enforcement officers 
of Texas, and they have a task force which is working up a, hopefully, 
a counter-plan to stand up to this plan that's coming out of Mexico to 
start to infiltrate our counties along the border and ultimately, 
through intimidation, kidnapping, beheading, murdering and bribing and 
all other types of illegal activity, they are going to try to both buy 
and intimidate their way into a position of control of these counties.
  Some of these counties have large populations, but some of these 
counties have very small populations and a lot of land mass along the 
Texas border. And it is a real concern when you're talking about 1,200 
miles of border between the United States and Mexico, that someone 
would have a plan to invade our country and take control of those 
border counties that are bordering on Mexico.
  The first question you would say is, with them fighting to establish 
their base in Mexico, why would they cross the border?
  The report that was given, and when I get that report I'll talk to 
you about some of the people that were involved in it, but I don't have 
it in front of me. It was done with the aid of two former United States 
military generals who looked at it from the standpoint of strategic and 
tactical planning that you would have in the case of any other kind of 
military invasion, to look at what countermeasures we would take in 
this country and others.
  One of the countermeasures that would fall upon the people of Texas 
would be that we would need to be using every law enforcement officer 
we could to their maximum benefit; and therefore we have done things to 
enhance border sheriffs in the past. We're going to do things to 
enhance border sheriffs in the future; but we have a bill that will add 
to that enhancement, and I would think that's just the tip of the spear 
of what's going to be needed if these people get serious about trying 
to come across the border and create criminal counties along the Texas/
Mexican border on the Texas side of the border.
  It's almost beyond our belief. And here's the man with my materials. 
Bring them over here.
  That's almost beyond our conception of what will truly happen. But 
this is a copy of the plan. You want to hand one up there to Judge Poe 
and let him, he's read it, but he might want to have it as a reference. 
It's ``Texas Border Security Strategic Military Assessment,'' prepared 
in September of 2011. And some of the funds were provided by Todd 
Staples, the commissioner of the Texas Department of Agriculture, 
assisted by the Texas Department of Public Safety, and four star 
Retired General Barry McCaffrey and Retired Army Major General Robert 
Scales, both of whom looked at this from a unique and strategic 
assessment as they would do with a military project.
  General McCaffrey is the former director of the Office of National 
Drug Control Policy under President Bill Clinton and a former commander 
of all U.S. troops in Central and South America. Major General Robert 
Scales is a former commander, United States Army War College.
  These two gentlemen have taken the intelligence that has been 
gathered by the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Border Patrol, 
special group called the Texas Rangers, and others, to discuss this 
criminal element on the border.
  Now, why would we do this today? Well, it's because of what's on this 
poster right here. We have had an event in our country where these 
blatant criminals from the cartels have at least attempted to be--they 
have been solicited by enemies of our country from Iran to commit an 
assassination bombing here in Washington, D.C. on behalf of Iran. And 
they tried to hire Mexican cartel members to do this heinous event here 
to attack the Saudi Arabian--and I believe potentially the Israeli 
embassies here in Washington, D.C. in an attempt to kill those 
ambassadors from those countries.
  Now, I have a particular interest in this, above the interest I would 
have anyway, having dealt with law enforcement for many, many years 
now, in that one of these guys that tried to make the deal has a home 
in my hometown of Round Rock, Texas. This has just come out recently. I 
haven't seen what neighborhood it's in yet because I haven't seen it on 
television. But I'm going to call my son as soon as I get through 
talking here, and he knows everything that goes on in Round Rock 
because he's the coach, and he'll know where it is.
  But this is serious business when you start realizing that there are 
people trying to set up assassination plots that live in your hometown. 
And we are one of the most law-abiding--I would argue we are the most 
law-abiding county in the State of Texas and one of the most law-
abiding counties in

[[Page 15301]]

the entire Nation. And to think that someone would be stupid enough to 
choose Williamson County as a place for operations for terrorist 
behavior is almost beyond my belief. But it seems to be, from the 
indications that are being reported in the news, at least one of these 
people owned a home in Williamson County.
  It shocks me to come up here on the floor and admit that about my 
hometown; but I can promise you, if we can find anything we can do to 
him in Williamson County, we'll take care of the boy. I can give you my 
assurance of that. But that's another story.
  But look at these characters and realize we live 200 miles from the 
Mexican border, and yet operations are being planned by people from a 
foreign country, Iran, an enemy of our Nation, part of the axis of evil 
that former President Bush talked about. These guys are trying to make 
a deal with this criminal element across the border.
  So that, coupled with this Texas Border Security Act, is a huge eye-
opener, that this issue that we have talked about now for the entire 
almost 10 years I have been here in Congress is a lot more serious 
issue, from a national security standpoint, than anything we ever 
imagined; and I think that's something we really need to start thinking 
about.

                              {time}  1900

  I am joined by another very law-and-order former judge from the State 
of Texas, my good friend, Ted Poe. Judge Poe and I both served on the 
bench. We both did our best to put bad guys where they belong, and I 
think we did more than our share.
  I will just yield to Congressman Poe whatever time he may wish to 
consume to discuss this matter.
  Mr. POE of Texas. Thank you, Judge Carter.
  The reason Williamson County doesn't have any criminals in it is you 
sent them all to the Texas State penitentiary when you were judge. But 
I think this event that has occurred should tell us a lot of things. 
One, that the country of Iran is so bold they believe that they can 
commit a crime of terror on the soil of the United States and get away 
with it, that the United States wouldn't do anything, or there wouldn't 
be any consequences, whatever. But the government, and I believe the 
Government of Iran was in the middle of this, was so arrogant to hurt 
and kill Americans that they were willing to do this on our homeland.
  I think that we have the responsibility to treat this just like it 
had actually occurred, had they carried out the assault on the Embassy 
here, killed the Ambassador at a restaurant, apparently, killed the 
Israeli Ambassador, killed the two Ambassadors of the same countries in 
Argentina, which was discussed. We should be very concerned about that 
and not give it a pass because our law enforcement did a good job.
  But also, they're willing to recruit the Zeta cartel to bring 
explosives into the United States. I wonder whether this is the first 
time they thought they were dealing with the Zeta cartels. We don't 
know. But the Zetas, to me, are the worst of the worst drug cartels. It 
reminds me of the old show on television back years ago, ``Paladin,'' 
where his business card read ``Have gun--will travel.'' And that's what 
the Zetas are. They've got guns, and they'll travel anywhere to 
assassinate people to make a little money.
  So you've got Iran on one side of the world and the drug cartels in 
Mexico, two criminal enterprises working together--one for political 
reasons, one for money reasons--to cause harm to the United States.
  Now, that brings us to a question of the real problem, which is the 
border. The U.S. border with Mexico and its porousness is a national 
security issue. It is not an immigration issue. That is a completely 
different issue. It's a border security, national security issue.
  Last year, from the, I believe the same report that you have 
provided, there were 663 individuals from special interest countries 
that were captured by our law enforcement. Now, special interest 
countries are countries where terror organizations originate--Saudi 
Arabia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Afghanistan. That's where these 663 
people were from that were captured by our law enforcement trying to 
come into the United States. And they weren't coming in here looking 
for work that Americans won't do. They were coming over here for 
mischief reasons. And that's because the border is open. The world 
knows if you can get to Mexico, you can get to the United States. And 
that was the plan in this bold endeavor to commit terror in the United 
States.
  Recently, we did a border forum in Brownsville where we had primarily 
law enforcement and people who lived on the border testified about 
violence on the border. There are some places on the border that aren't 
violent on the United States side. But there are other places that are. 
It's not all peaceful, and it's not all violent. It depends on the area 
of the border.
  One of the cattlemen that is a ranger for the Cattlemen's Association 
testified that he was so concerned about cross-border travel and crime 
coming into the United States on ranches and nothing was being done 
about the crime that was being committed on these ranches by people 
crossing into the United States, primarily drug cartels, that the 
cattlemen, since they don't feel protected, may end up taking the law 
into their own hands. And we don't want to get into that situation.
  You mentioned trafficking, human trafficking. That's another 
tremendous problem that the United States needs to be aware of, that 
young people, young women and girls from all over the world are being 
smuggled to Mexico, then smuggled into the United States, and then 
trafficked throughout the United States for sexual crimes. And it's an 
awful, awful scourge, but they cross the border because it's open in so 
many places.
  In our Judiciary Committee a couple weeks ago, we had testimony that 
the number one threat to national security of the United States is not 
al Qaeda but the criminal drug cartels that operate in Mexico. The 
number one national security threat is the criminal drug cartels that 
operate in Mexico. That should give us, really, a warning that we 
really do have a tremendous crisis on our hands, because those people 
are at war not only with Mexico, but they're at war with the United 
States.
  Lastly, I wanted to point out that there are several things that are 
being done, but the problem still exists--people are crossing into the 
United States. Border Patrol is doing the best they can. Of course, 
local law enforcement, the sheriffs, are doing as good a job as they 
can, and they mentioned the problem that you have talked about, about 
how the drug cartels want to infiltrate this side of the border and 
actually control regions. It's pretty simple what they do. They own 
land on one side of the Rio Grande River in Mexico, and they want to 
buy or steal or confiscate land on the Texas side of the Rio Grande 
River. That way they can move their drugs and smuggling operation from 
one land they own to another land they own across the river.
  And when we get in that situation where the drug cartels are owning 
land on both sides of the border, we've got ourselves a real problem. 
And it's not just drugs; it's this problem right here. It seems to me 
that we need more people to protect the security of the United States. 
That's one of the things the Federal Government is actually supposed to 
do is to protect us.
  And one piece of legislation I've offered is to put the National 
Guard on the border, not behind the border, but on the border, 10,000 
troops, at the request of the Governors, supervised by the Governors, 
paid by the Federal Government, but put them on the border. Right now 
our policy seems to be, since we can't have enough people on the 
border, we have them behind the border, and we try to catch them if you 
can, that's people coming into the United States, everybody, the good, 
the bad, and the ugly. And once we catch them, they become our problem, 
our financial problem, and then we have to deal with them and try to 
send as many as we can back.
  If we have the National Guard on the border, they're not going to 
cross into

[[Page 15302]]

the United States if we have that presence. And I think it's come to 
that, where we actually need to do that and talk about the role of the 
Federal Government is national security.
  With that, I thank my friend for yielding.
  Mr. CARTER. Reclaiming the time, thank you, Judge. I also have a 
bill, and I'm a cosponsor of your bill.
  I also believe that we need the National Guard on the border. As this 
report indicates, you fight wars tactically and strategically. 
Strategically are big, big issue plans. Tactically is how you do the 
fighting. Well, they seem to have a plan that has been worked out 
strategically to seize the Texas border, as much of it as they can get; 
and then tactically, how to go about doing this with all sorts of 
criminal activity so they control some of these very rural, very large 
rural counties. But I'm sure they're even going to try for some of 
those urban and quasi-urban counties that are along the border with a 
whole intent that it would enhance their ability to move their 
products.
  There's an anecdote in this bill, and I think I need to read it. This 
is what one rancher observed: ``But the Border Patrol, I can tell you 
that their hands are tied about a lot of stuff. They have to call 
Washington. Even if they're having a gunfight down at the river, 
they're on the phone. They have to call Washington. The Border Patrol 
have boats on the river. They patrol the river, but they are not 
allowed to pick up anybody that is in the water unless they are dead.

                              {time}  1910

  ``If the drug guys are loading drugs, all they have to do is wade out 
into the water, and the Border Patrol can't touch them. They are not 
allowed to go into the water. They can't do anything about it.''
  If that's the policy of the country and if that's what's going on, 
then they're looking at ways to avoid law enforcement--this is what 
this plan goes on to say--on both sides of the border. If the Texas 
authorities are chasing a carload of drugs in Texas, then drive out 
into the river, and they can't come after you. If the Mexicans are 
chasing you, then drive out into the river on the Mexican side. It 
gives them a getaway to get into that international zone.
  I'm not sure of the legal ramifications of that policy. It has always 
been my understanding that the State of Texas owns to the middle of the 
river; but there seems to be some policy that says, once you're in the 
water, you can't make an arrest of these people unless you get your 
hands on them without going into the water. I don't know how you do 
that. If that's the policy, then that's a getaway zone on both sides of 
the river. They can run right back in.
  If they get this control of law enforcement and other things--and I'm 
not in any way besmirching these guys who are working nights, weekends 
and holidays down there who are trying to stop this invasion; but look 
what they've done to law enforcement across the border. I mean, I think 
the life expectancy of a chief of police in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, is 
about 6 hours before they either kill you or behead you, set you on 
fire, burn up your family or do something to you.
  These are evil people; and the Zetas, they're the worst of the 
gathering of the evil people over there. They do it for money. They'll 
do anything for money. Almost anything. Obviously, they didn't do this, 
but it's only by the grace of God and good intelligence and, quite 
honestly, good law enforcement work down there that we prevented this. 
It's almost, arguably, that we got lucky, because there are so many 
people they could have contacted; and then we wouldn't have known about 
this. It's kind of frightening.
  Another comment by another person who lives on the border: ``We see a 
lot of things, but we keep our mouths shut about it. We just don't want 
to be on anybody's hit list. I keep to myself. The people who are doing 
what they're doing; they keep to themselves. If I see something, I 
ignore it--I look the other way--but there is a problem. It's really 
bad. Here on the river, you see a lot of stuff, and you don't pay 
attention to it. You walk away, and you try to stay in an area where 
they don't see you, so if somebody gets caught they don't say, 'Well, 
somebody called.' So you try to blend in and not create any waves.'' 
This is a citizen.
  I can tell you that one of our citizens owns land on the border, and 
he has told stories of 50-caliber machine gun-armed, mounted Toyota 
pickups--I don't mean to besmirch Toyota, but that's what they are--
that drive all loaded up, with the cartel members telling deer hunters 
to get off the ranch because they're hunting there that day, which 
means they're bringing a big load of drugs across the river. There is 
anecdote after anecdote from the citizens of Texas.
  One of the things, I think, that's very important that we explain to 
people and to everybody who might be paying attention to this is that 
there is one big difference between Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and 
California, which is: in Texas, we retained our public lands when we 
came into the United States under treaty.
  So the land that they cross the river onto is not Federal land. It's 
individual human beings' land. People water their cattle in the Rio 
Grande off of their ranches, and that Rio Grande is one border of their 
ranches. They own the land right up to the river. It's different in 
Arizona, and it's different in California. In most instances, they butt 
up against federally owned land because, in the other States, all land 
not owned by the individuals is owned by the Federal Government as part 
of Federal lands. In our State, we have no Federal lands. We have only 
State-owned lands and lands owned by individuals. So it's actually 
State-owned land or it's individual land with the exception of Big Bend 
National Park. That's the only exception that we have.
  Mr. POE of Texas. I just wanted to point out another statement made 
by Texas ranchers. I think the Texas ranchers are the finest law 
enforcement organization in the world next to Scotland Yard--the two of 
them.
  Lieutenant Arthur Barrera, whom I met when I was down there about 3 
weeks ago, grew up on the border and knows how the life has changed. 
Here is what he says about what has taken place on the Texas-Mexico 
border. The people in Washington, D.C., who live in never-never land, 
thinking there are no problems down on the border, need to listen to 
some law enforcement officer who has been there for a long time.
  Lieutenant Arthur Barrera says: ``We are in a war. We are in a war, 
and I'm not going to sugarcoat it by any means. We are in a war, and it 
is a war, and we need to understand that.'' That's exactly what has 
taken place on the border.
  Mr. CARTER. Quite honestly, if they have a plan to seize American 
soil, I think that's as close to an invasion plan as I can think of, 
and that concerns me greatly. If it's going to happen in Texas, it's 
going to happen in other States.
  I've had the pleasure twice now to go to the border of the great 
State of Arizona. To be very honest, at least we've got a river between 
us and them. With the exception of some of the fences being built in 
Arizona--and I've seen the old fence. It was a two-strand, barbed wire 
fence that a young heifer calf could walk through without any problem 
at all.
  Tonight, we're joined by Congressman Franks from Arizona. He wants to 
tell us a little bit about his view of this serious problem on our 
border with our cartels from the standpoint of our friends in Arizona. 
I yield to the gentleman whatever time he may wish to use here tonight.
  Mr. FRANKS of Arizona. I certainly thank the gentleman very much. I 
know that Texas and Arizona are kin in a lot of different ways, and I 
appreciate all the good work that you do; and I certainly thank Mr. 
Poe.
  I suppose it's important for us first to just restate the obvious, 
that the President's most fundamental duty is to protect our country. 
This recent attempted attack, which could have resulted in an act of 
war if they'd been successful, I think reveals two very glaring 
examples of President Obama's abject failure to adequately fulfill his

[[Page 15303]]

responsibility to protect our southern borders and the failure to 
respond to a terrorist regime on the verge of obtaining nuclear 
weapons.
  The main terrorist attempting to organize these attacks on our soil 
sought to hire members of the Mexican drug cartel known as the Zetas--
I'm sure you folks have discussed that already--partly because of their 
seemingly unfettered access to weaponry. It's an astonishing irony to 
me, Mr. Carter, that it was the Obama Department of Justice that was 
involved in allowing just such weaponry to be walked across the border 
into the waiting arms of Mexican drug cartels like the Zetas.
  Yesterday's foiled plot underscores the serious nature of the 
allegations surrounding Operation Fast and Furious; and, of course, I 
think it's very appropriate that Attorney General Holder has now been 
rightly subpoenaed. Beyond any shadow of a doubt, this momentous event 
establishes that Iran is committed enough to try to foment an attack 
upon the United States.
  There are really only two fundamental components to any threat to our 
national security. One is intent. The second is capacity. If this 
doesn't clarify once again in the starkest terms Iran's intent, I don't 
know what it will take to wake this administration up. The frightening 
part about it is that this same regime has gone on unabated for years 
now, inexorably and inevitably pursuing a nuclear weapons capability. 
This administration has been asleep at the wheel, and I can't express 
to you how dangerous I believe that is.
  Last year, General David Petraeus announced that Iran was directly 
assisting al Qaeda. Shortly thereafter, General Raymond Odierno, now 
Chief of Staff of the Army, said Iran was funding and training 
insurgent groups in Iraq. Furthermore, in a report last September, he 
indicated that Iran was also funding Taliban efforts to kill American 
troops in Afghanistan.

                              {time}  1920

  This is a pattern here; and if they are committed enough to try to 
foment an attack here and literally try to blow up the Israeli embassy 
here or to kill the Saudi Arabian ambassador to the U.S., let me 
suggest to you that the intent is so clear that our entire focus now 
should be upon dealing with the capacity.
  And this administration should have the courage now to take this 
moment to stand up and say to the whole world that America will not let 
Iran gain nuclear weapons with which to threaten the entire human 
family, even if it means a military response on the part of the United 
States.
  They need to make that very clear, and this is the moment to do that, 
because I would suggest to you that there is an effort by Iran to 
create a hegemony in the Middle East that's causing a lot of the Middle 
Eastern countries now to flock to Iran's side out of absolute sniveling 
terror that Iran will gain a nuclear weapons capability.
  I would just say to you that if Iran does do this, not only will it 
change the history of humanity, not only will we all be stepping into 
the shadow of nuclear terrorism, but history will record that this 
President was the one that stood by and allowed that to happen. I would 
suggest to you that that is a complete abrogation of Presidential duty.
  Perhaps this President would do better if he were able to focus on 
the threats of our Nation without being so busy apologizing for America 
at every opportunity. It's been reported the State Department under 
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, that they called to express 
condolences to the family of al Qaeda propagandist Samir Khan, who was 
killed in the same attack that took out Anwar Awlaki.
  It's a difficult thing to say or ask, but I just wonder if the Obama 
State Department called all of the families of the victims of the 
terrorism that these two men fomented in the world, especially those 
perhaps who died at Fort Hood. I am just astonished that this President 
is so busy apologizing to the families of terrorists that I wonder if 
he has time to defend this country.
  We have an administration that not only refuses to enforce our 
immigration laws, but then allows weapons to pass to the very criminals 
from whom they are given charge to protect Americans from, and then 
they sue the States who step in, like Arizona, and try to enforce 
immigration laws themselves.
  Meanwhile, Mr. Carter, I just suggest to you that it is just 
astonishing that we have to sit here and have this conversation while 
the world's largest state sponsor of terrorism, Iran, is drawing closer 
and closer to building a functional nuclear weapons capability that 
they could pass on to their terrorist proxies, some of which are 
believed to be operating near the same unsecured southern border.
  Just the fact that Iran was willing to try to bring in the Mexican 
drug lords, the Zeta gangs, is proof that they're willing to try to 
pass some of their deeds off to proxies. Now, if that becomes a nuclear 
weapons capability, then the world's in trouble and there's just no way 
I can conjure words strong enough to describe the insanity of this 
administration's lackadaisical, irresponsible approach to national 
defense. I wish I could.
  Mr. CARTER. You paint a pretty severe picture, which I agree with. 
Think about this. Part of the contract they were trying to make with 
the Zetas was to bring into this country explosives, supposedly to set 
a plant, a bomb, in a favorite eating place here in Washington, D.C. 
and blow up that place in order to kill the ambassador.
  Now, just let's assume for the sake of argument that something like 
C-4 that was smuggled in here, if they can smuggle C-4 across the 
border in from Mexico and transport it across the country to 
Washington, D.C., once they develop a tactical nuclear weapon in Iran, 
what's to prevent them from smuggling a tactical nuclear weapon into 
the United States. I would argue, nothing.
  Mr. FRANKS of Arizona. If the gentleman would yield, I serve on the 
Strategic Forces Committee and am familiar with some of the designs of 
our nuclear warheads, and this is certainly open-source material.
  But the fact is that a couple of people in a large red wagon can pull 
a W88 nuclear warhead across the border if they wanted to. Then people 
say, well, how could they ever do that? How could they ever bring a 
nuclear warhead across the border? The remark that I think clearly 
illustrates the significance of the possibility is maybe they could 
just hide it in a bale of marijuana. That would help them get it 
across.
  So the fact that terrorists are beginning to move in this direction 
where they're getting so bold that they're willing to try to foment 
attacks on American soil, let me suggest to you that it's very late in 
the day, Mr. Carter, and I think maybe we missed one other point, that 
is, that in blowing up the Israeli embassy, that would be an act of war 
against Israel, because that would be Israeli soil in terms of our 
entire architecture for diplomacy.
  Yet there was no hesitancy on the part of these terrorists to try to 
foment exactly that outcome and, again, if it had occurred, if they had 
been successful, it would have been nothing short of an act of war on 
the United States. Yet this administration is strangely quiet, and I 
wonder what this body should do to try to wake up this administration.
  Mr. CARTER. I think that what we will hear is this, as what we have 
heard before in the past, this is a law enforcement matter being 
handled by the FBI and law enforcement, and it will be handled 
accordingly. That's what I think we will hear from the administration.
  But this is a threat to the national sovereignty of this country, 
potentially the national sovereignty of our friends from Israel and our 
friends from Saudi Arabia. This could have been the major incident that 
set off a chain reaction that could have done who knows what to the 
future of mankind, and these crazy people would do that using a 
criminal element that is smuggling horrible drugs and people for 
illicit purposes into our country every day.
  And you're talking about the marijuana loads. They pack hundreds of

[[Page 15304]]

backpacks across the border loaded with marijuana almost daily, and 
they march right on into Texas and Arizona. In your case, they go off 
into the Federal lands, into the reservations and up to the highway and 
off to the east coast and the west coast. In our case, they come across 
the border, off the ranches, get up to the highway, east coast and west 
coast.
  We are the major dispersal route for all this illegal and illicit 
poison that they're selling, and that's who they would hire to deliver 
a blow against two of our allies. That's frightening, what could have 
occurred.
  Mr. FRANKS of Arizona. Yes, sir, I agree. Speaking of our allies, I 
was just in Israel not long ago, and I have to say to you, you 
understand that a lot of us--and I know including you, Congressman 
Carter--believe that Israel is our most reliable, most vital ally in 
the world.
  Mr. CARTER. Yes, sir.
  Mr. FRANKS of Arizona. Yet they feel under siege right now because 
they don't sense that this administration truly has their best interest 
in mind, partly because the Obama administration has reserved more open 
rebuke for Israel building homes in its own capital city than it has 
reserved for people like Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for building nuclear 
weapons to threaten the entire human family. And I find that lack of 
priority beyond my ability to articulate.
  Mr. CARTER. I agree. And that's the purpose for us being here 
tonight. There is no reason to scare people. They can make them draw 
their own conclusions.
  But if you're hiring, if you're contracting, this guy who represents 
Iran is contracting with this creep, who represents the Zetas, that's 
frightening to think lawlessness being directed by a nation-state to 
attack innocent people in our country. And when you blow up an area in 
Washington, D.C., how many Americans are going to get killed besides 
the Israelis or the Saudi Arabians that are attacked? We don't know.
  And then we thought of nuclear, nuclear elements. It's frightening.
  Mr. FRANKS of Arizona. I just think that sometimes it's very easy for 
all of us as Americans. We've grown so used to being the most secure 
Nation in the world, and we owe that to the greatest military and the 
greatest men and women wearing the uniform that any nation could ever 
have.
  But we've grown complacent and we, I think, have forgotten the 
seriousness and the reality of nuclear weapons. And we're living in a 
world now where countries like Pakistan have a major arsenal. If there 
is some sort of breakdown in the hierarchy in Pakistan or if Iran gains 
nuclear weapons, there's a lot of very dangerous circumstances facing 
this country.

                              {time}  1930

  I just think that somehow the lack of priority frightens me because 
this administration seems so focused on so many other things rather 
than doing what's necessary.
  I haven't heard the outrage from this administration even related to 
this Iran-Mexican drug cartel effort. I haven't heard the strident 
outrage that you hear on a lot of other issues that they put forth. I 
just suggest to you, Congressman Carter, I hope that the people of this 
country will somehow let their Members of Congress and their President 
understand that the first responsibility we all have to offer them is 
security.
  I know we're all focused on the economy of this country and jobs, and 
I certainly recognize the significance of that and the importance of 
it. But do we realize what would happen to our civil laws, to our 
liberties, do we realize what would happen to our economy if we had a 
major nuclear weapons attack on this country by terrorists? I mean, I 
don't think any of us would ever sleep again. The damage that could be 
caused is almost beyond my imagination, and yet again this 
administration seems focused on other things.
  Mr. CARTER. Reclaiming my time, in fact if that happened, I would 
argue that we would have the same kind of mental strain that the people 
of Israel have been living with since the creation of their country. 
That any day, any minute of any day could be the day a rocket lands in 
your house, or when a terrorist blows your house up or shoots you. We'd 
have the same feeling in this country. You think we have economy 
problems now, who's out there to pick us up? We picked up countries 
around the world after wars and put them back on their feet for no 
other reason than because it made good sense. But there is no country 
that will pick us up and put us on our feet, so it's a crisis.
  I don't know if you're aware of this, but there has been a study 
made, a Texas border security study, a strategic military assessment, 
and here's an executive summary of the 150 pages. It is much more 
detailed, but just to read this very quickly: During the past 2 years, 
the State of Texas has become increasingly threatened by the spread of 
Mexican cartel organized crime. The threat reflects the change in the 
strategic intent of the cartels to move their operation into the United 
States. In effect, the cartels seek to create a sanitary zone inside 
the Texas border one county deep that will provide sanctuary from 
Mexican law enforcement, at the same time allow the Mexican cartels to 
transform the Texas border counties into narcotics transshipment points 
for continued transport and distribution into the continental United 
States. To achieve their objective, the cartels are relying 
increasingly on organized gangs to provide expendable and unaccountable 
manpower to do their dirty work. These gangs are recruited on the 
streets of Texas cities and inside Texas prisons by top-tier gangs who 
work in conjunction with these cartels.
  So in addition to this threat from Iran, I mean if you have a plan to 
seize a part of the United States of America by force, I would call 
that invasion. And I would argue that if that is a true statement, 
Texas has already put together a task force under the leadership of the 
Texas Rangers. They are setting up stations along the border with a 
goal of setting up an intense communication system to be prepared for 
what may be coming from across the river. But they are just a small 
body of very effective law enforcement people. This could be a major, 
major intrusion on the United States. Add that to their partners, Iran, 
trying to make a deal with these criminals, the Zetas, it's 
frightening.
  We learned a long time ago in law enforcement that when you create an 
environment of lawlessness, it breeds more lawlessness. Quite honestly, 
that theory is what cleaned up New York City under Rudy Giuliani. Using 
that theory, they said we're going to go into neighborhoods and we're 
going to take the street lawlessness out of the neighborhoods so that 
the big lawlessness will move somewhere else, because if they're in a 
lawless environment, it just enhances lawlessness. And it worked. And 
they cleaned up the streets of New York, and it's a much safer place 
for people to go these days than it was 20 years ago. And it's all 
because of the concept lawlessness breeds lawlessness.
  Because we were allowing laws to be violated on our border, from 
Brownsville all of the way to San Diego, we basically created, by our 
own efforts by not enforcing immigration laws and the sovereignty of 
our country, we created a lawlessness area before the cartels got 
there. So when lawlessness breeds lawlessness, why wouldn't they go 
there. There are already people not obeying the laws in that area, why 
not go in and make it official. And they did. It's frightening.
  I yield to my friend.
  Mr. FRANKS of Arizona. Well, you know, I couldn't agree with you 
more. We have to realize that the criminal element reads our intent. 
They know how serious we are. And terrorists across the world don't 
really believe that Barack Obama is serious about doing what's 
necessary, not only to identify clearly the difference between freedom 
and terrorism. I mean, they're calling the war on terror now overseas 
contingencies. They're using all these euphemisms. You know, I wonder, 
maybe now they'll say the drug cartels are merely unlicensed 
pharmacists.

[[Page 15305]]

When we use words that don't reflect the truth and reflect the reality, 
we are undermined from the very beginning.
  My concern is that Iran doesn't take this President seriously. They 
have put explosive form penetrators in the war in Iraq that have killed 
many of our soldiers. They've sent weapons to Afghanistan. And now 
they're trying to send drug cartels into our country to help blow up 
our embassies, and this administration allows them to continue on this 
inexorable march to gaining nuclear weapons.
  And I just want to tell you, I'm afraid of something tonight. Again, 
it frightens me, like a lot of other things that we've talked about 
tonight, and that is that I'm afraid that this administration has 
embraced the notion that it's too late to stop Iran from gaining 
nuclear weapons, and that they're going to go ahead and allow them to 
do that and then pursue a policy of containment when they do. I cannot 
find the words to express how dangerous that policy is and how it will 
damn this and future generations if we allow that policy to take hold.
  If Iran gains nuclear weapons capability, history itself is divided 
because for the first time a jihadist rogue nation will have its finger 
on the nuclear button. And whatever challenges we face to prevent Iran 
from gaining nuclear weapons, whatever they are, and I know that they 
are myriad and significant, but they will pale in insignificance 
compared to the problems we'll have after Iran gains nuclear weapons. 
It will change the world for all of us.
  And I would just join with you and call upon the administration to 
refocus their efforts on the central duty of the President of the 
United States and upon this government, which is to protect the lives 
and constitutional rights of our citizens, and that starts with 
national security. And whether it's a porous border or whether it's 
allowing a country like Iran whose leaders have made it clear that they 
intend to do everything they can to destroy Israel and ultimately the 
United States, we need to do everything that's necessary again, 
including military response, to prevent Iran from gaining nuclear 
weapons. The sooner the President makes that clear, the better chance 
that we won't have to have a military response. But right now the 
Iranian administration, the Iranian leaders are simply not convinced 
that this President intends to hold them accountable and keep them from 
gaining nuclear weapons capability, and I think it's one of the most 
dangerous things that we face in the world for that reason.
  Mr. CARTER. Reclaiming my time, I agree with everything that you say, 
and I want to say this further: it's the duty of the President of the 
United States and the executive branch to enforce the laws of the 
United States, to protect the borders of the United States against 
intrusion. It's their duty to protect our Nation from those who would 
wreak havoc and harm upon our Nation wherever they may be located, Iran 
being the primary example on the face of the earth today as a threat to 
our country.
  And, quite honestly, jobs are very important in our country, and once 
we get the government out of the way we'll get some jobs started, but 
it's time for this administration to do something on the border of this 
country to protect the citizens on the border. There's no reason why a 
landowner who lives on the border has to get assassinated like the 
landowner in Arizona, or has to get run off his land by armed men, as 
our landowners in Texas are doing, without the protection of the 
Federal Government. We are the United States of America, and when they 
attack one State, they attack all of the States of our Union.

                              {time}  1940

  When they attack our border, they attack every State in this Union. 
By the way, there are many Americans who realize that today. I had 
sheriffs from the State of North Carolina and the State of Maryland and 
maybe one other State, I don't remember where it was, but those two I 
know were in my office telling me, Hey, this violence is all the way in 
Maryland, it's all the way in North Carolina. They showed me pictures 
of an assassinated cartel member shot in the back of the head found 
right outside of a town in North Carolina.
  So these guys in their terror tactics come from across that border 
and are all the way up here on the East Coast dealing terror in smaller 
doses but just as serious for the future of this country. Meanwhile, 
we've got Iran contracting with this criminal element, which is a 
ruthless criminal element, and saying, We want you to do our bidding on 
our behalf, and here's the money. As Judge Poe says, Have gun, will 
travel. And you'll travel and kill whoever we want you to kill and blow 
up whoever we want you to blow up in any form or fashion that we see 
fit. How about a deal? And they were making a deal.
  That ought to scare the pants off of everybody, and it ought to wake 
the Obama administration up that there are serious things being 
overlooked by their cavalier idea that everything America does is bad 
and everything other countries do is excusable. That seems to be our 
policy, to the point where they're willing to let an agency of the 
United States Government become the biggest gun runner in the history 
of Mexico in Fast and Furious, which we are investigating right now in 
the Halls of this Congress. These are things that people ought to wake 
up and say, My Lord, this is insane. What is wrong with us? Where are 
those people who stood up for Americans and stood up for freedom and 
fought for the right ideas? They seem to have disappeared.
  I yield to my friend.
  Mr. FRANKS of Arizona. Mr. Carter, I think we forget when we talk 
about the economy and jobs that the most important thing we can do for 
the economy and jobs is to make sure that this country is secure and 
that productivity is allowed unfettered; that it has a secure 
environment in which to flourish. If the government will get out of the 
way, this economy will flourish. It will go forward. But if we fail as 
a government to do what is our duty, which is national security, 
there's nothing that could damage our economy more.
  I remind everyone that we lost $2 trillion in our economy when two 
airplanes hit two buildings. It's very easy to forget the cost of war. 
Someone said that war devours everything that peace gives. And we need 
to make sure that we defend this country and make sure that the people 
who are investing in this country and are trying to work in this 
country and be productive know that they can do so in a fully secure 
environment. It is the most important thing that we can do for our 
national economy.
  And I would suggest to you that it's important for us to start asking 
this administration some key questions. The number one question is: 
Where do they put the national security of the United States on their 
priority list? Secondly: What are they willing to do to clarify this 
dangerous jihadist ideology in stark terms where everyone can 
understand what we're dealing with and that we're willing to do 
whatever is necessary to prevent terrorism in this country and protect 
the American people? And third: What is Mr. Obama willing to do? What 
is he willing to do to prevent Iran from gaining nuclear weapons with 
which to threaten the peace of mankind?
  With that, I thank my friend for yielding.
  Mr. CARTER. I appreciate you being here, Trent. You're a good friend, 
and I value your opinions that you have given here tonight.
  This is a problem that has risen its head because of this event. We 
could talk for days about this because it is so serious to the future 
and welfare of every American citizen. And to think that any enemy of 
our country is contracting with a criminal element that has a track 
record thus far of killing 44,000 people, many of whom were just 
bystanders, just in an ongoing event of driving their illegal 
operation. If they get involved in international terrorism, heaven help 
us. I hope that heaven will. And I hope this administration will take a 
hard look at where they're going to be willing to draw the line and 
say, We're not taking this any

[[Page 15306]]

more. And I would argue at least it ought to be at the borders of our 
country and at those who would develop a nuclear weapon that could 
devastate mankind.
  I thank both of my friends for joining me tonight, and I yield back 
the balance of my time.

                          ____________________