Henry Cuellar for Congress | Proven Leadership for Texas

Safer Communities in Texas

As a State Representative and Texas Secretary of State, for 14 years Henry Cuellar worked hard to fight crime to make Texas' streets and communities safer. Since his first legislative session in 1987, Henry Cuellar worked to keep criminals in prisons longer and co-authored legislation that reformed the juvenile system to provide tougher sentences and instill discipline among Americas violent youth and street gangs.

As a border native, Henry Cuellar took on violence associated with the Mexican drug cartels and ensured border towns had the state resources they needed. Less than two decades later, violent crime has dropped significantly in Texas. Henry Cuellar felt it was time to hold criminals accountable for their violent behavior. Henry Cuellar strongly believes that the victim's rights come before the criminal and that's why he helped draft and pass a constitutional Victims’ Bill of Rights in Texas.

Safer Communities Across the Nation

Since coming to Congress in 2005, Congressman Henry Cuellar has worked hard to fight crime on the national scale, protecting America's communities and hundreds of Texas neighborhoods by passing critical federal funding to support state and local law enforcement.

As a member of the House Homeland Security Committee, he's worked hard to ensure the Department of Homeland Security has the resources and federal funding they need to thwart the evolving threats of the 21st Century. He's worked hard to ensure adequate federal funding flows between DHS and their local law enforcement agencies and first responders who work with the federal government to combat border violence, drug trafficking, port security and threats associated with terrorism. 

Chairman of Border, Maritime and Global Counterterrorism Committee

As Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Border, Maritime and Global Counterterrorism Subcommittee, Henry Cuellar has been an outstanding advocate to meet the needs of local law enforcement, CBP and ICE. He's helped secure funding to reimburse communities who fight violent crime associated with the drug trade and he's authored national border programs to secure local communities along the border and identify and remove violent criminal aliens.

In 2009, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano joined Congressman Cuellar to visit the U.S. Mexico border and pledge her full commitment to fighting violence along the border associated with the drug trade. Congressman Cuellar regularly meets with local and federal CBP officials to ensure the nations work collaboratively to fight the Mexican Drug Cartels and detect and deter associated crime as a result. 

Congressman Cuellar believes the United States needs to continue its support in assisting Mexico in its fight against the cartels. He strongly supports the Merida Initiative, drafted by President George W. Bush and Mexican President Felipe Calderon, which is a 3 year commitment to help provide Mexico's law enforcement agencies with the tools they need to keep our shared border safe. 

In 2009, President Barack Obama signed into law language authored by Congressman Cuellar calling for a high-level commission between the United States and Mexico. The State Department will be working with Congressman Cuellar as he seeks to create this commission which would enhance how both countries' law enforcement agencies fight violence associated with drug trafficking across the border. 

Two Decades of Fighting Crime

As a State Representative and Secretary of State of Texas for 14 years and now as a U.S. Congressman for 5 years, Congressman Cuellar has proven over the span of two decades how committed he is to fighting crime and keeping our communities safe throughout Texas and the nation. 

While in Austin, Henry Cuellar was able to use his leadership authority within the Appropriations Committee to ensure local governments had the resources they need to fight crime. He expanded access to equipment, cyber-security and federal funding, while strengthening local police departments and sheriff's offices by bettering the laws of which they can enforce. 

Making Texas Tough on Crime, Henry Cuellar Authored and Passed Legislation to:

• Provide stricter prosecution of juveniles that drive intoxicated or under the influence of drugs
• Made tampering of voting ballots a felony
• Made tougher punishments for carrying a prohibited weapon on school campuses or within governmental offices 
• Strengthened Cyber Security Laws for the 21st Century threats
• Regulated Currency Exchange Operations to curb illegal laundering of drug money
• Made it a Felony for illegally obtaining a birth or death certificate in Texas
• Directed the Department of Public Safety to use computer technology to track criminal activity
• Created programs to utilize prison labor to clean and repair State Parks
• Directed the State Auditor to investigate State Agencies for irregularities in using state funds
• Provided authority to the Attorney General to collaborate with other states for child support and child custody orders
• Required prisoners to pay for a number of health care services 
• Help fund the Juvenile Justice Education Program (JJAEP) to provide schooling for expelled students 
• Established district courts to process faster criminal and domestic violent cases 

Strengthening State Laws & Resources to Fight Crime on the Street:

• Increased salaries for County Attorneys to compensate them for increased workload
• Tougher prosecutions for domestic violence criminals
• Passed the toughest anti-poaching law in Texas history to protect the hunting industry for Texas ranchers
• Established Governor Bush’s Project Spotlight to address high delinquency areas and the Texas After School Initiative to prevent juvenile crime
• Created the first publicly-funded Texas Detox Juvenile Center to treat juveniles with drug problems
• Provided performance measures for state district courts to improve efficiency
• Required college and universities to report crime statistics on their campuses to inform parents and students
• Directed Department of Criminal Justice inmates to refurnish state agencies old computers to provide them to local schools
• Provided peace officers disabled in the line of duty with free college tuition to get their education
• Allowed counties to charge prisoners for their cost of staying at their local jails Juvenile Justice

While serving in the Texas State Legislature, Henry Cuellar co-authored and revised the Juvenile Justice Code that cracks down on juvenile offenders and offers more prevention programs to get our Texas youth back on track. Violent youth now receive longer sentences for severe felonies and crimes, but there are more programs to ensure their reentry into society.

Since Henry Cuellar enacted these reforms, disruptive and violent students can now be removed from Texas public school classrooms and Cuellar helped appropriate new dollars for youth facilities and programs to help state and local government effectively deal with juvenile offenders. Cuellar not only authored and sponsored legislation to strengthen juvenile laws and the adult criminal justice system, but he has also helped properly fund law enforcement so they can effectively deal with criminals.

As the former Chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Public Safety, Juvenile and the Judiciary, Cuellar appropriated more funds combined with a smarter more effective approach to fighting crime. State Resources, Local Impact While representing Laredo in Austin, Cuellar provided the funding for a new state-of-the-art Texas Department of Public Safety building and crime lab. This crime lab serves several South Texas and Counties and since coming to Congress, Henry Cuellar has secured federal funding to build more crime lab facilities throughout underserved border communities.

As the Chairman of the Texas House Appropriations Subcommittee on Public Safety, Criminal Justice, and Judiciary, Cuellar pushed for more spending for the Department of Public Safety (DPS). During his tenure, the funding for DPS and state's border communities tripled between 1998-2000 from $4.3 million to $14.6 million.

Connecting Congress to Community Crime Efforts

Henry Cuellar believes that Congress can work with local law enforcement to provide a more aggressive crime-fighting strategy. With more federal funding to our local law enforcement, we make critical investments to keep our communities safe. Community-based crime fighting efforts are the nation's best way to fight crime. That's why in 2009, he helped secure federal funding for the Department of Justice to support the efforts of local police departments, sheriffs departments and community first responders.

Real Experience, Real Results

As Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Border, Maritime and Global Counterterrorism within the House Homeland Security Committee, Henry Cuellar is helping to keep America's communities safe from the threats of all kinds. As a partner with the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection, Henry Cuellar is a valuable asset to the state of Texas and to those border communities who rely on federal resources to fight violent crime associated with the drug trade.

During his 14 years in the Texas State House, Henry Cuellar served in leadership positions to fight crime and to make our communities safer, as the Chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Public Safety, Criminal Justice, and Judiciary, as a member of the Attorney General’s School Violence Task Force, the House Juvenile Justice and Family Issues Committee, the House Judicial Affairs Committee, the Texas Supreme Court New Citizens’ Commission of the Texas Judicial System, and the Select House Committee on Sentencing and Recidivism. Awards & Community Recognition Henry’s fight to make our streets and communities safer has been recognized by many federal, state and local law enforcement entities including “Crime Fighter of the Year” by the Texas State Trooper’s Association, the Department of Justice-U.S. Border Patrol Laredo Sector, “Crime Fighter of the Year” and “Friend of Law Enforcement” by the Combined Law Enforcement Association of Texas (CLEAT), the Texas District and County Attorney Association, the Texas Department of Public Safety-Narcotics Unit, the Laredo Crime Stoppers and by many other local law enforcement entities.