From: PAGAN, DAVID G.

- (b
To: (b) (6)
Cc: HILL, RANDY ( ; (b) (6)
Subject: RE: News Release
Date: Friday, February 08, 2008 9:08:06 AM

Note..Mayor Foster, et al, were on the Hill yesterday. We have forwarded the press release to
Congressional Affairs to help correct the record.

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Border mayors and business leaders brief Homeland Security Committee members
7 February 2008
María González-Escareño

LAREDO, February 7 - On the eve of Homeland Security

Secretary Michael Chertoff's visit to the Rio Grande
Valley, members of the Alliance for Security and Trade
briefed the Democratic members of the House
Committee on Homeland Security on border security,
and immigration and economy.

The briefing took place Thursday morning in Washington

D.C., with panelists Dennis Nixon, CEO and Chairman,
IBC Bank, Alliance for Security and Trade; McAllen
Mayor Richard Cortez, Laredo Mayor Raul Salinas and
Eagle Pass Mayor Chad Foster.

U.S. Reps. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, and Ciro Rodriguez,

D-San Antonio were among the Democratic Members
present at the briefing, as well as Committee Chair Rep. Congressman Benny
Bennie Thompson, D-MS. Thompson, chair of the
House Committee on
“We are just knocking on doors in an effort to convey Homeland Security, met
the Texas border reality. The challenge is conveying our with members of the
reality; they are estranged from the reality of the Alliance for Security and
border,” said Foster, in a telephone conversation with Trade in Washington,
the Guardian. “Texas is unique in that it has a wonderful D.C.
natural resource to which the Secure Fence Act will be a
tremendous negative impact.”

The issues discussed at the hearing were the Secure Fence Act, alternatives to
border fencing in Texas, and immigration and the economy. Specific topics of
discussion included the levee project in Hidalgo County and the River Vega project in
Laredo, as well as wait times at ports of entry and facilitation of legitimate cross-
border travel.

“Dennis Nixon was the principal witness and he presented a strong outline on the
economic needs, economic effects of the fence, and on the need for comprehensive
immigration reform,” said Salinas.

The Laredo mayor also said that the Texas Border Coalition's work on proposing
alternatives to the fence has seen major headway since the coalition began
advocating.

“I heard from Chairman Thompson that help is on the way and I think that that is
significant,” said Salinas. “We are on the right track in getting things done as far as
implementing alternatives to the fence, on the guest worker program, on a lot of the
things that we have been talking about all along.”

“We've been on this effort for so long now, we're beginning to see the fruits of our
labor,” said Salinas.

Cuellar said that one of the key topics of discussion presented by the alliance was
the upgrading of the U.S. land ports of entry.

“The message that they were giving and I've been repeating over and over, is that
80 percent of all the people that enter the United States go through our land ports
but a lot of the resources are put into sea ports and air ports and we are forgetting
the land ports,” said Cuellar. “We need more personnel, more infrastructure and
more technology.”

The Laredo congressman also said that the presentation went “very well”, and that
it gave the border mayors and AST members a chance to advocate for alternative
ways for border security.

“We don't look at the fence as a way to provide border security, there are other
ways” said Cuellar. “It was a good meeting that allowed dialogue, because a lot of
committee members from other parts of the country still feel that the border fence is
the best way to provide border security.”

The congressman added that Secretary Chertoff's visit to the Valley on Friday to
discuss the levees is a positive and that he is glad that it's an issue that Homeland
Security has decided to support.