Thread: Rep. Reyes: 1st Hispanic Intel Chairman

Rep. Reyes: 1st Hispanic Intel. chairman
SUZANNE GAMBOA
Associated Press

WASHINGTON - Silvestre Reyes was unable to speak English until he was 6 years old. Now the Texas congressman must master the lingo of the nation's spy agencies and the politics of the war in Iraq.

The son of West Texas cotton farmers, Reyes was held back in school along with other Mexican-American children because of limited English. Both Reyes' parents were born in the U.S. His father was a successful farmer and both parents were avid readers who instilled a love for reading in him.

"I always look back and am amused," Reyes said, recalling his school days. "I was tagged as (one day) being a chicken farmer (and) a high school counselor said I was good with my hands and could be a welder."

Instead, he became a combat soldier, a Border Patrol agent and chief and then was elected to Congress. This week, he added one more achievement: chairman of the House Intelligence Committee.

Reyes takes over the key post next year, becoming the first Hispanic to serve in the job.

He'll head the panel, in part, because Democrats capitalized at the ballot box on the dissatisfaction among American voters with the war in Iraq and what some believe was faulty and politically manipulated intelligence that led the nation into war.

"We're going to do the oversight with the administration about how do we proceed and what are the options. How does intelligence play into that and how will we be able to operationally support what we are trying to accomplish getting out of Iraq," Reyes said about his agenda as chairman.

Reyes voted against the Iraq war resolution and has supported setting a timetable for withdrawal. He said he voted against the war because he thought intelligence was being "cherry picked" and "manipulated" to make the case for war. He supports fighting the war on terror, but warns against relinquishing individual rights.

He has been an outspoken critic of the administration's warrantless domestic wiretapping program. But he said Friday he will not pledge to bring American troops home right away.

House Speaker-to-be Nancy Pelosi chose Reyes over two more senior committee members - Rep. Jane Harman, D-Calif., and Alcee Hastings, D-Fla.

A moderate Democrat, Reyes often takes a pro-defense stand. He also serves on the House Armed Services Committee and has served on the Veterans Affairs Committee.

He has cast votes against partial-birth abortion and human cloning, but also voted against Bush's tax cuts and rejects deployment of military personnel to the border.

Reyes has been a longtime advocate of the Border Patrol, pressing for more resources for the agency since he first entered Congress. He is credited with initiating "Operation Hold The Line" on the Texas-Mexico border, which stationed agents to stop illegal entry. The technique is now used all along the border.

He said his experience as a Border Patrol agent who had to rely on intelligence to do his job helps qualify him for the job as chairman.

Much of the attention he has received over the years has been for his expertise on border issues, U.S.-Mexico relations and as one of the veteran Hispanics in Congress.

But Reyes has also come to be known as a defense expert. His district is home to Fort Bliss, the home of the Army maintenance unit ambushed in Iraq. Jessica Lynch was captured and Pfc. Lori Piestewa was killed in that attack.

Rep. Ike Skelton, D-Mo., noted that Reyes has been a champion of Aegis and the Theater High-Altitude Air Defense or THAAD, types of missile defense technology and said he has "consistently promoted realistic testing for our missile defense systems."

"Silver has also been diligent in his oversight of satellite programs, ensuring that valuable intelligence information remains available to our war fighters," Skelton said in a news release.

The oldest of 10 children, Reyes' father dropped out of school in the 6th grade and his mother was a high school graduate. Reyes has been married for 38 years and has three grown children and three grandchildren.

"He is an individual that knows how to treat people, knows how to work in a bipartisan way," said fellow Texas Democrat Rep. Solomon Ortiz, a close friend of Reyes.'

"He knows what intelligence is all about. And he's very conscientious. I'm pretty sure any information he gets, he's going to be sure he verifies that information so we don't make any mistakes. He's aggressive enough to pursue any investigation, any information that might be out there."

ON THE NET

Rep. Silvestre Reyes: http://www.house.gov/reyes

_______________________________________________

FROM HIS WEB SITE:


http://wwwc.house.gov/reyes/issue_detail.asp?id=37

Border Issues


3/30/2006
Border Issues



Congressman Reyes' views on border issues.

Life on the Southwest Border is different from the rest of the country. Living so close to Mexico gives us strengths and challenges. We benefit as a gateway to Mexico for travel and commerce, but we also contend with issues of combating pollution, public health problems and the effects of drug smuggling.

These challenges require action at the local, state and federal levels. Unfortunately, Washington traditionally ignores the needs of Border communities like El Paso. However, through efforts like the annual U.S.-Mexico Border Issues Conference in Washington, DC, the tide is turning. In addition to highlighting the Border for other Members of Congress and federal agencies, these conferences helped result in changes in federal policy and funding. Begun in my first year in office, the 10th annual conference will be held in the Spring of 2006.

Together, we fought for the creation and funding of the first ever dedicated commuter lane (DCL) at a port-of-entry along the Texas-Mexico border. The DCL helps alleviate traffic congestion at the Stanton Street bridge and expedites the crossing process for thousands of regular border crossers. There is an urgent need for additional DCLs, and we secured funds from the Department of Homeland Security for construction of a new DCL at the Ysleta border crossing which recently opened.

Working together, we obtained the first ever funds for the Border Health Commission (BHC), which is the only entity in operation that is uniquely focused on the health challenges facing the border region. We also secured El Paso as the home of the BHC.

In a coordinated effort among El Pasoans and others across the country, we successfully fought efforts by the Administration to eliminate funding for the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP), which provided $2.9 million since 1999 to El Paso law enforcement agencies to help defray the costs of dealing with undocumented immigrants in the states criminal justice system.

We also won Congressional approval for assigning two additional federal judges to the Western District of Texas and funding for Border prosecutors to help alleviate the heavy workload that burdens our judicial system. Also, we shaped changes to the NAFTA-Trade Adjustment Assistance Program (TAAP) to better assist displaced workers.

These are examples of some of the accomplishments we achieved by working together for the best interests of El Paso. Much work remains to be done, and based on our past performance, we will succeed.

Hmmm...........just another illegal immigrant advocate and supporter being appointed to high office in the Democrat controlled U.S. Congress. Nothing new here.

Check out his report card (yuk!):

http://grades.betterimmigration.com/tes ... &VIPID=792

reyes also is on record as wanting an investigation in the two BP agents this summer but has since changed to one who says he does not want to get in the way of the judicial process and saw nothing wrong with the case.

he is also a former border patrol officer and should know the perils of doing that job

hes a disgrace