Washington, D.C.,

February 13, 2003 

Congressman José E. Serrano (D-NY) today announced his capture of a seat on the newly formed Homeland Security Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee.  This new subcommittee will oversee funding for all of the federal agencies recently incorporated in the new Department of Homeland Security, including the Transportation Security Administration, the Immigration and Naturalization Service and First Responder programs.

“This assignment will be a great challenge and awesome responsibility,” Serrano said.  “Billions of dollars are being poured into many disparate activities all being called Homeland Security.  We need to make sure that all of this money and all of these activities really make us safer.  With this new seat, I will have the vantage point to make sure that this is the case,” Serrano said.

“As a New Yorker who still thinks daily about the repercussions of September 11 on our society, I intend to continue fighting for the maximum possible funding for programs vital to the security and well-being of the American people.  We must work hard to prevent future terrorist attacks on our homeland and ensure that the American people are safe.

“I will make sure that the daunting obligations of this new department do not go ignored or remain under-funded,” Serrano said.  “At the same time, we must be sure not to forget exactly what it is that we are trying to protect.”

“Our rights and freedoms as Americans must not be sacrificed for a mere promise of security.  This new department must get its adequate funding and we, as Members of Congress, must also provide adequate oversight to guarantee a balance between our security and our freedom.  We cannot repeat the mistakes of our past.  We must not, as some Members have done, dismiss the mass detention of individuals merely because of their racial or ethnic origin and then cynically claim it is for their protection.  We must not let our intelligence agencies forget past transgressions on American citizens, like the FBI’s surveillance of Puerto Rican political activists since the 1930's.  Lives were ruined by these abuses of authority and we must be vigilant to prevent such abuses from happening again,” Serrano concluded.