UAVs to start patrolling Texas-Mexico Border Washington, Aug 30 - Today, Congressman Henry Cuellar (TX-28) announced that starting Wednesday, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will begin operating an Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) along the Texas-Mexico border in an effort to help deter illegal activity. This UAS will be housed out of the Naval Air Station in Corpus Christi, TX,… Read more »

Congressman Henry Cuellar, TX-28, today helped unanimously pass HR 6080, the 2010 Emergency Border Security Supplemental Appropriations Bill, which provides $600 million to strengthen border security and help reduce violence along the Southwest border. Read more »

Today, Congressman Henry Cuellar (TX-28), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Border, Maritime and Global Counterterrorism, released the following statement in response to today’s joint announcement by the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security to deploy 1,200 National Guard troops to the U.S. southern border beginning August 1, 2010. Read more »

Today, Congressman Henry Cuellar (TX-28) released the following statement in response to President Obama’s nomination of U.S. Magistrate Judge Diana Saldana to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, Laredo Division. If confirmed by the Senate, Judge Saldana will serve as one of two federal judges for the U.S. District Court in Laredo, Texas. This is the first nomination made by the President to fulfill the pending federal judgeships throughout the State of Texas. Read more »

Today, Congressman Henry Cuellar (TX-28) announced that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has approved the flight of an unmanned aerial vehicle over 1,200 miles of the Texas-Mexico border, in addition to the Texas Gulf Coast. As a result of the decision, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) can now move forward in permanently stationing a remotely-piloted aircraft in Texas. This will be the first UAV based and operated in Texas to help combat illegal activity along the Texas-Mexico border. Read more »

U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) today announced the success and further expansion of ICE’s Secure Communities strategy to south Texas. Secure Communities utilizes a biometric information-sharing capability to enable ICE to better identify aliens at the time they are fingerprinted and booked on criminal charges. Read more »

Today, Congressman Henry Cuellar (TX-28), Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Border, Maritime and Global Counterterrorism, made the following statement regarding the first unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) flight over West Texas on Tuesday, June 1, 2010, by Customs and Border Protection Office of Air and Marine. Today, the Department of Homeland Security confirmed the UAV flight occurred over a portion of West Texas Tuesday. Read more »

Congressmen Henry Cuellar (D-Laredo) and Michael McCaul (R-Austin) had a first-hand look at new technology that would allow federal agents patrolling the borders to disable the engines of boats and land vehicles from a distance without harm to occupants. The technology, developed by Applied Physical Electronics of Spicewood, TX, has the potential to strengthen border and port security by mitigating the risks involved in initial contact between law enforcement and suspected smugglers. Read more »

Today, Congressman Henry Cuellar (TX-28) voted to extend over $4 billion worth of vitally important tax cuts to hard-working families and supported legislation to fund the Department of Defense though 2011, including funding to create a new South Texas Joint Training Center in Tilden, Texas, for the Texas Air and Army National Guard. Both bills passed the House late Friday before Congress adjourned to recognize Memorial Day. Read more »

On Wednesday, officials from Customs and Border Protection (CBP) briefed Congressman Henry Cuellar (TX-28) on the unmanned aircraft system expected to patrol the Texas-Mexico border by this fall. The technical briefing reviewed the operational capacities of the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), in anticipation of an impending flight approval from the Federal Aviation Administration. Read more »