TX - Border security legislation passes Senate committee

Posted by Elizabeth Traynor on June 30, 2012 at 12:16 pm
chron.com

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Jamie Zapata ICE photo

The Jaime Zapata Border Enforcement Security Task Force Act, named in memory of the slain Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agent, passed the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs Friday.

The committee performed a full markup of the bill, and, pending the creation of a report on the legislation, enables the act to continue moving forward in the legislative process.

A time frame for the bill, authored by Texas Rep. Henry Cuellar, to head to the Senate floor has yet to be set, a spokesperson for Cuellar said.

There is no opposition to the proposal in the Senate, but the timeline for the legislation’s final passage will depend on whether or not a committee report is drafted, and will work around the upcoming week-long Congressional Fourth of July holiday.

“Every step closer the Jaime Zapata Border Enforcement Security Task Force Act takes toward becoming law is good news for our nation’s continued border security and a fitting tribute to the exemplary agent in whose memory it is named,” Cuellar said in a statement. “I look forward to seeing this bill continue to move forward.”

The legislation, which cleared the House with a vote of 391-t0-2 on May 30, authorizes American and Mexican coordination against crime and drug cartels that permeate the border. It would require local and federal law enforcement to coordinate with officials in Mexico and Canada on border security efforts, and looks to provide $10 million over five years to implement equipment and training for those tasks.

A Brownsville native, Zapata was killed by the Los Zetas cartel members in a highway ambush in February 2011, while on assignment as an adviser to Mexican authorities. Cuellar, a Laredo Democrat, conferred with the slain agent’s family before creating the bill.

At the time of his death, Zapata was assigned to a Homeland Security Investigations unit on human trafficking and smuggling in Laredo. Julian Zapata Espinoza, a member of the Los Zetas drug cartel, was arrested in connection with the shooting and extradited to the United States to stand trial.

Earlier this month, Zapata’s family filed a claim for wrongful death against the Justice Department and other federal agencies. Victor Avila, Zapata’s ICE partner who survived the attack, also joined the case.

Border security legislation passes Senate committee | Texas on the Potomac | a Chron.com blog

Just more politcs to create good feelings that is far away from a solution. Causing all these good feelings accomplish near nothing without funding. Funding that needs to be expended on real solutions.