Francisco Canseco: “I want to thank my friend and colleague and fellow San Antonian--the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, Mr. Smith--as…”

“I want to thank my friend and colleague and fellow San Antonian--the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, Mr. Smith--as well as his diligent and hardworking staff, for their help on this very important matter. I come to the floor today, Madam Speaker, in support of my legislation, H.R. 6368, the Border Security Information Improvement Act. As the Representative of a district with nearly 800 miles of U.S.- Mexico border, I know firsthand how important the security of our citizens along our shared border with Mexico is. As I visit with the people of the 23rd District of Texas, I hear time and time again from Americans living along the border that they do not feel safe or secure. They talk of living in fear. They tell me that Washington is not paying attention as drugs, weapons, and humans are smuggled through their communities. Washington is not listening as they ask for help as violence from Mexican drug cartels spills into their communities and cities and towns. Many of the statistics and information used to make claims about the security of our southwest border are based on information from sources, such as the Uniform Crime Report, that are not intended to measure security along our border. Administration officials have claimed that the border is safe and secure.…”