Political Quotes

“Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the retirement of Alonzo R. Pena, Deputy Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which is the ICE, in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. He has worked to make our communities safe through law enforcement for over two decades. Mr. Pena is a native of Falfurrias, Texas, where he began his career as a Texas State trooper. In 1984, he entered the Federal service as part of the ATF in California. After several years, he returned back to Texas and worked his way up to Assistant Director for the Smuggling Division. Mr. Pena also served as the ICE Special Agent-in-Charge in San Antonio, Houston, and Phoenix. He played a key role in the creation of the ICE's Border Enforcement Security Task Force (BEST) initiative, which developed a comprehensive approach to combat cross-border crime and which started there in my hometown of Laredo. Deputy Director Pena has led efforts to foster increased counternarcotics and law enforcement cooperation with Mexico as the State Department's senior diplomat to the Government of Mexico at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City. As the current Deputy Director of ICE, Mr. Pena has assisted intelligence-driven investigations through the assistance of and relationships with Federal, State, local, and international partners. Madam Speaker, I am honored to recognize the unique dedication, commitment, and leadership of ICE Deputy Director Alonzo Pena, and his family. ____________________”