Press Releases
WASHINGTON - Congressmen Vicente Gonzalez (TX-15), Filemon Vela (TX-34), and Henry Cuellar (TX-28) have introduced the Border and Refugee Assistance Act of 2019, a bill to mitigate the flow of migrants at the border and expand the processing of refugees within their country of origin. The legislation directs U.S. agencies to expand in-country refugee processing centers within Northern Triangle countries. Under the bill, family units and minors in Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador would be eligible to apply for refugee protections within their country of origin.
WASHINGTON – Congressmen Vicente Gonzalez (TX-15), Henry Cuellar (TX-28), and Filemon Vela (TX-34) issued the following statements after speaking to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Director David Higgerson and representatives from the trade community on addressing delays at the Ports of Entry (POEs).
WASHINGTON – Congressmen Vicente Gonzalez (TX-15) and Filemon Vela (TX-34) have sent a letter to Chairwoman Lucille Roybal-Allard and Ranking Member Chuck Fleischmann of the House Appropriations Committee to request additional language in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Appropriations bill. This language would make local governments, non-profits, and other entities in the Rio Grande Valley eligible to apply for reimbursements in the form of a grant for the housing and care of family units released into the community.
WASHINGTON – Congressman Vicente Gonzalez (TX-15) is encouraging eligible applicants to apply for funding through the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Rural Business Development Grants program to help implement training and technical service initiatives that improve transportation facilities and services in rural communities.
WASHINGTON – Congressman Vicente Gonzalez (TX-15) is encouraging eligible applicants in the 15th District of Texas to apply for available preparedness grant programs through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The Department recently released the Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 Notices of Funding Opportunity for eight DHS programs that total more than $1.7 billion.
WASHINGTON - Congressmen Vicente Gonzalez (TX-15), Ron Wright (TX-06), and Ranking Member Mike McCaul (TX-10) have introduced H.R. 2046, the Energy Diplomacy Act. This bipartisan legislation empowers the State Department's energy security and diplomacy efforts by replacing the Coordinator for International Energy Affairs with a Senate-confirmed Assistant Secretary for Energy Resources.
WASHINGTON – Congressmen Vicente Gonzalez (TX-15), Henry Cuellar (TX-28), and Filemon Vela (TX-34) today issued the following statements in response to the Administration's border policies that have inhibited cross-border trade and travel in South Texas. On Wednesday, the congressmen spoke with incoming U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Deputy Commissioner Robert Perez about staffing levels at Ports of Entry (POEs) and the reassignment of 750 CBP officers.
WASHINGTON – Congressmen Vicente Gonzalez (TX-15), Don Young (AK-At Large), Paul Cook (CA-08) and Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard (HI-02) have together introduced the bipartisan Veterans Member Business Loan Act that would exclude veterans' loans from the statutory credit union member business loan cap. The bill would also amend the Federal Credit Union Act to exclude extensions of credit made to veterans from the definition of a member business loan, thus increasing veterans' access to loans for small business purposes from a credit union.
WASHINGTON – Congressman Vicente Gonzalez (TX-15) issued the following statement in response to the resignation of U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristjen Nielsen.
"Civil service is not inhumane. Leadership is not obedience. Governance is not ignorance. I expect the next Homeland Security Secretary to uphold the values and morality of the American people - and humanity."
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WASHINGTON – Congressman Vicente Gonzalez (TX-15) today issued the following statement in response to reports that international bridges in the Rio Grande Valley are facing extensive delays due to the reassignment of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) personnel and the President's recent threat to close the border.
"U.S. Customs and Border Protection personnel already face challenges in how quickly it processes trade on a day-to-day basis across multiple international bridges in the Rio Grande Valley and along the U.S. Southwest Border.