Silvestre Reyes
| Silvestre Reyes | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee | |
|
In office January 4, 2007 – January 3, 2011 |
|
| Speaker | Nancy Pelosi |
| Preceded by | Peter Hoekstra |
| Succeeded by | Mike Rogers |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas's 16th district |
|
|
In office January 3, 1997 – January 3, 2013 |
|
| Preceded by | Ron Coleman |
| Succeeded by | Beto O'Rourke |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
November 10, 1944 Canutillo, Texas |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Carolina Reyes |
| Residence | El Paso, Texas |
| Education | El Paso Community College, Associate's Degree |
| Occupation | Border Patrol Sector Chief |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
| Awards | Air Medal |
| Military service | |
| Service/branch | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1966-1968 |
| Rank |
 Sergeant
|
| Battles/wars | Vietnam War |
Silvestre "Silver" Reyes (born November 10, 1944) is the former U.S. Representative for Texas's 16th congressional district, serving from 1997 to 2013. He is a member of the Democratic Party. He was Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence between 2007 and 2011. In the Democratic Primary election on May 29, 2012, Reyes lost by a margin wide enough to avert a runoff election to former El Paso city councilman Beto O'Rourke.
In 2008 Reyes served as the Southwest Co-Chairman for Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign along with Congresswoman Shelia Jackson Lee. Then U.S. Senator Clinton praised Reyes saying he was "one of our wisest and most experienced leaders on national security and the particular issues that affect Americans living along the border and throughout the Southwest. I am proud to have his support and grateful for his advice,"
Reyes was born in Canutillo, an unincorporated suburban community west of El Paso, and is the oldest of 10 children. He graduated from Canutillo High School and received his associate degree from El Paso Community College. He attended the University of Texas at Austin before serving in the United States Army in 1966. In 1967, Reyes served as a helicopter crew chief in the Vietnam War. In 1968, Reyes suffered complete hearing loss to his right ear when mortar landed near his foxhole during combat.
In 1969, Reyes joined the U.S. Border Patrol where he served for over 26 years. From 1984 - 1995 Reyes served as the Sector Chief for the McAllen and El Paso Sectors of the Border Patrol. In 1993, while serving as the Chief Patrol Agent of the El Paso Border Patrol Sector, Reyes led the Border Patrol to strategically position agents on the border to intercept undocumented immigrants in a strategy later termed "Operation Hold the Line". This operation was the predecessor to a similar operation dubbed "Operation Gatekeeper" in Southern California. Such tactics were not without controversy, as placing Border Patrol Agents in high visibility positions placed them at tremendous risk from rock and firearms assaults from the Mexican side of the border. Immigrant-rights groups also protested the strategy, as it was effective in deterring undocumented aliens from crossing in protected urban areas such as El Paso and San Diego, California and as such "forced" them to cross through desolate parts of the Southern United States, such as the deserts of the Imperial Valley in California and the Sonora desert in Arizona. Reyes gained enormous popularity in the 16th Congressional District due to the Operation's success in reducing illegal immigration.
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