Date: 1995-07-19
Speaker: DE LA GARZA (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. listening to the distinguished chairman of the Committee on Banking and Financial Services. I was very happy that he mentioned the facts. and gave an accurate description of what this fund is all about. What I am going to very respectfully and quite reluctantly have to explain is that this is no more. no less than Mexico bashing. We are still fighting NAFTA. We did not fight Canada. Oh. no. But are still arguing about Mexico. Let me give some facts. Mexico is not going to be swallowed by the ocean. It is going to be there forever. The border is not going to change. they will be our neighbors always. What we do with Mexico to stabilize the peso is for my side of the river. for the American side of the river. When the peso is weak for whatever reason. it is McAllen and San Antonio and Dallas and Houston that suffer. But what disturbs me the most is that in the debate on NAFTA. and I hate to go back to it. we got to a Mexicobashing binge. I share blood with the Mexican people. And when you insult them. you insult me. They discussed the environmental issues. that Mexico would not fulfill the obligations incurred by NAFTA..I am going to put in the RECORD later a story about how United States companies are complaining how harshly Mexico is treating them about cleaning up the environment. United States companies are saying the Mexican Government has closed 28 factories in the State of Tamaulipas. they have sanctioned about 80. but here we are still saying. "Oh. theyre not cleaning up the environment." Mexicajis have died for the United States of America. There is a Medal of Honor winner from Mexico. They are our brothers. They are our neighbors. They will not go away. hrey will not be swallowed by the ocean they will remain our southern border. Yes. we should correct. but I doubt that there is anyI do not know what word to useintegrity in any argument about the fund. when we know what motivates the problem with the fund and how much money that would go to Mexico. My side of the river is suffering. They are asking me. "Can you get us SBA loans because we are losing all this business that is not coming from Mexico?" Mexico has been our stern ally politically. socially. and economically. Let me tell you. the best interests of the United States of America and our very -national security demands a stable Mexico. socially. economically. politically. That is why we at times intervene in Mexican affairs. rightly or wrongly. to try and make them more equal to us. But the bottom line. my dear friends. is that we. the United States of America. took twothirds of the territory of Mexico in a way that has yet to be explained: Texas. New Mexico. Arizona. California. But now we are on an alienbashing binge. in California. in the Northeast. anything that does not look like usblond. blueeyed. tall. Would you believe I have Irish blood? I have Italian blood. My children have. through my wife. German blood. My family came when it was Spain. they lived there when it was Mexico. they lived there when it was Texas. they lived there when we were Confederates. but we are citizens of the United States of America and proud of it. But anyone who for any other reason than fact demeans the Mexican people. I resent. because I share blood with them. It is unfortunate that this issue has been brought up. I have no question about the seriousness of the. gentleman who offered the amendment. But it is being used for all the other purposes. We hear. "we want the Vietnamese out of California. we want the Salvadorans out of California. we do not want the Mexicans anymore. we want no aliens. They are getting into our political grounds. they are getting our social services. they are coming to get aid" and so forth. Mr. Chairman. that should not be the issue. Every one that is here. with the exception of probably my dear good friend. the gentleman from Iowa . and Senator CAMPBELL. everyone that is here. came. or their ancestors came. as aliens. You demean your ancestry when you now say. "Oh. the. aliens are taking over our country." My friends that is what we are all about. We should stick to the facts. But I cannot. because I see behind the eyes of the debate and the speaking of the debate. I see bashing Mexico. That is not correct. That is not proper. The best interests of the United States of America demand a stable Mexico. Anything that we do. the stabilizing of the Mexican peso was done for the States of Texas and Ohio and Indiana and all the people that sell in Mexico or sell to our Mexican friends who come to our country. specifically in the border States.