Speech #1020195722

Mr. Speaker. today we had a hearing in the Committee on Government Operations in which the INS and the Border Patrol appeared. and we reviewed the policy of highspeed chase. due to the tragedy that occurred at Temecula. CA. about 60 miles north of the international border in an area where a car that was driven by illegal aliens was pursued by a Border Patrol car. At one point the Border Patrol broke off the chase. and about a mile later the car. in a very tragic incident. collided with a car in which a number of schoolchildren were present. resulting in a number of deaths. It was a very tragic incident. Because of that. there were hearings today on the pursuit policy that is employed by the Border Patrol and other governmental agencies. I think it is appropriate at this time. since the Border Patrol was in town. and a number of these people who spend their life on the line were out here. to expand the picture a little bit and look not only at the chase policies but look at what the Border Patrol has done with a meager amount of resources. few personnel. not a great deal of equipment. and much of its equipment not very well kept. highly used. and what they have done in trying to hold back literally an army of illegal immigrants who each evening mass on the international border just south of the border. and as it grows dark. move across the border up various channels and highways into the interior of the United States. D 1940 Now. it is interesting that along with interdicting literally hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens. the Border Patrol now has become one of the most effective agencies with respect to interdicting narcotics. Over the last year or so. the amount of cocaine that they have interdicted has gone up 10 times what it was in 1991. They interdicted last year about 694 pounds of cocaine and this year it is over 6.900 pounds of cocaine. Just yesterday. in fact while Gus de la Vina who does a very good job as the Border Patrol chief in the San Diego sector. while he was flying out here his agents seized some 3.033 pounds of marijuana worth an estimated $4 million after chasing a pickup near Del Zuro. which is in San Diego County. The Border Patrol includes a number of unrecognized heroes. I thought it would be appropriate also to review a few of the cases in light of the fact that we are reviewing this tragedy. to review a few of the cases that do not make headlines and do not make the evening news. but nonetheless in which Border Patrol agents show great bravery and dedication to duty. One of those cases that happened on November 8. 1990. was when agent Frank Galvan heard gunshots coming from Mexico and observed two men being chased by four assailants. He immediately drove his service vehicle to a position between the assailants and victims and pulled the victims to cover behind his vehicle. The victims. incidentally. were illegal aliens. He pulled them behind his vehicle even as gunfire was being directed toward the victims. Pulling his weapon. he prudently held fire to avoid hitting innocent people directly behind the assailants.