Congressman Canseco introduces Southwest Cross-border Violence Recognition Act Border Sheriffs join Congressman Canseco at Texas Capitol

Austin, TX –Today, Congressman Francisco “Quico” Canseco (TX-23), who represents almost 800 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border, held a press conference on the steps of the Texas Capitol to discuss border security legislation he recently introduced,the Southwest Cross-border Violence Recognition Act (H.R. 2124). The Southwest Cross-border Violence Recognition Act creates a federal definition of cross-border violence to accurately assess the reality of our border’s security.  The bill has been co-sponsored byChairman of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Oversight & Investigations,Rep. Michael McCaul (TX-10),and the Chairman of the Homeland SecuritySubcommittee on Border and Maritime Security,Rep.Candice S. Miller (MI-10). Congressman Canseco was also joined by several Border Sheriffs to provide first-hand accounts of the violence that is coming across the border from Mexico.

 

Congressman Francisco Canseco (TX-23):“The Southwest Cross-border Violence Recognition Act is an important tool that will allow policymakers and law enforcement officials to correctly quantify, and take action to secure our border against the cross-border violence spilling across the border into the United States from the Mexican drug wars,” said Congressman Canseco. “I have heard from Americans livingin communities along the border, and they tell me spill-over violence has become a normal part of life.  These are the same border communities that Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has declared, ‘open for business.’  Maybe I’m wrong, but I don’t think stray gunfire coming across the border is conducive to business.  It is time we get an accurate assessment of what’s really happening along the border so that we may begin taking steps towards a truly secure border,” Canseco concluded.

 

Congressman Michael McCaul (TX-10): "The day after President Obama declared the border secure, state and local law enforcement testified before my subcommittee painting a clear picture of the cross-border crime and violence directly linked to Mexican drug cartels," said Congressman McCaul. "This reality demonstrates the need for Washington to stop ignoring indisputable facts and get serious about securing the border."

 

Sheriff Clint McDonald of Terrell County: “The spillover effects of our unsecure border, puts undue hardships on local budgets to pay the price to be secure in an unsecure border zone,” said Sheriff Clint McDonald of Terrell County.

 

Director Don Reay of the Texas Border Sheriff’s Coalition: “The bill provides for accountability outside of political agendas. This is a responsibility that all Sheriffs swear to and sheriffs feel that the federal government should be forthright and accountable as well,” said Director Don Reay of the Texas Border Sheriff’s Coalition.

 

Todd Staples, Commissioner of Agriculture: “Whether you’re a rancher in Laredo, a retiree in Dallas, or a small business owner in Chicago, Illinois, the insecurity of the U.S.-Mexico border affects you,”Texas Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples said. “Congressman Canseco's Southwest Cross-border Violence Recognition Act is a positive step toward affording U.S. citizens the Constitutional protections they are promised. It’s past time for the federal government to uphold the Constitution and the sovereignty of Texas and the entire United States."