May 3, 2019 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks E535 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS

RECOGNIZING France, under Louis Napoleon’s rule, had HONORING ORANGE COUNTY PO- the world’s most powerful army, and sent LITICAL LEGEND FRANK HON. SHEILA JACKSON LEE more than six thousand men to invade Mex- BARBARO OF ico. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES But the courage and the love of freedom im- HON. J. LUIS CORREA Friday, May 3, 2019 pelled the Mexican people to fight back. OF CALIFORNIA General Ignacio Zaragoza led 5,000 ill- IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, I rise equipped Mestizo and Zapotec Indians called today to recognize the holiday of Cinco de Friday, May 3, 2019 Zacapoaxtlas. Mayo commemorating the victory of the Mexi- Mr. CORREA. Madam Speaker, I would like can Army 1862 over France at the Battle of On the 5th of May 1862, the forts of Loreto to honor Frank Barbaro, of Orange County, a during the Franco-Mexican War. and Guadalupe, in the city of Puebla, became prominent attorney, humanitarian and a polit- The fifth day of May, or Cinco de Mayo, is the scene of the historic defeat of the great ical legend. Mr. Barbaro passed away on April a special day because it represents the impor- army of France. 15th. tance of freedom, liberty and determination for Against overwhelming odds, they managed Born in Detroit, Michigan of Italian-English- the people of and for Mexican-Ameri- to drive the enemy back, achieving a total vic- Irish parents and raised by his mother and cans. tory over the best trained and equipped sol- grandmother, the family, arrived in Orange It was on that day, May 5, 1862, that un- diers in the world and ending the era of Euro- County in 1954, exactly 65 years ago, settling trained, outnumbered, and outgunned Mexican pean domination of the Americas. in the City of Garden Grove. After attending Garden Grove High School, forces—determined to protect their land—suc- For Mexico, this day has come to represent Mr. Barbaro attended the University of South- cessfully defended the town of Puebla against a symbol of Mexican unity. the French. ern California and graduated Magna Cum The quest for an independent Mexico start- In the , Cinco de Mayo is also Laude with his Bachelor of Arts in Political ed on September 16, 1810, when the people a celebration of the rich cultural heritage Mexi- Science in June of 1965. In June of 1965, Mr. of Mexico, following the will to become a free can Americans have brought to the United Barbaro was accepted to law school at the nation, refused to submit to Spanish rule. States. University of Southern California and grad- The struggle went on for 10 years. Hispanics are the fastest growing minority uated in 1968. During law school, Mr. Barbaro Finally, in 1821, the first independent Mexi- group in the United States. was awarded the Warner Trust Grant, he was can government was established. According to the most recent data available, a Bauer Fellow and received the Legion Lex But being an independent nation was not the estimated Hispanic population in the U.S. Scholarship. easy. is 57.5 million—constituting 17.8 percent of During college Mr. Barbaro worked as a life- Over the years, Mexico received economic our nation’s population. guard at the Disneyland Hotel and the Balboa support from several nations, France and Eng- Bay Club and later worked as ‘‘Fearless land among them. Hispanics now own a record number of Frank’’ on the Disneyland Jungle Cruise as a Later on, even Spain supported the new small businesses—1.6 million, with annual rev- skipper/narrator. Mr. Barbaro was Walt country. enues of more than $221 billion. Disney’s favorite jungle cruise narrator and al- Thus, Mexico became heavily indebted to Small businesses create two-thirds of Amer- lowed him to escort John Kennedy, Richard foreign powers. ican jobs, and the fastest-growing small busi- Nixon, Henry Kissinger and many other celeb- Due to ongoing political unrest caused by ness sector is Latino-owned firms. rities through the Jungle Cruise. many groups struggling for power, Mexico was Today, there are 40 Hispanic Members in In 1977, Mr. Barbaro was one of the found- not able to pay back the loans. the United States Congress, including 4 Sen- ing partners of Horton, Barbaro & Reilly and On July 17, 1861, President Benito Juarez ators and 36 House Members, many of whom practiced as a partner until its dissolution in issued a moratorium in which all-foreign debt are Mexican-American, representing constitu- 2005. Mr. Barbaro has practiced in all areas of payments would be suspended for a period of encies in all regions of the country, from Cali- civil litigation. Mr. Barbaro has been involved two years, with the promise that after this pe- fornia to New York, from Arizona to Illinois, in many high-profile cases including rep- riod, payments would resume. from Colorado to Florida. resenting the 23,000 investors in Lincoln Sav- In 1862, France, Spain, and England dis- ings against Charles Keating and victims of These gains and numbers tell us that His- patched their fleets to Mexican shores pur- the MGM Grand Hotel Fire in Las Vegas. panics are a driving force in our country—eco- suing not only money but also land rights as Taking over from Richard J. O’Neill, Mr. nomically, socially and politically. payment for their loans. Barbaro initially chaired the Democratic Party A government representative greeted them Hispanics share the common goals with all in 1977–78 at the ripe old age of 34. During and explained that Mexico acknowledged its other Americans of freedom, opportunity, and these two years Mr. Barbaro ran a registration debts but had no funds to pay them. a chance to build a better life. campaign for voters that resulted in a Demo- They were offered payment warrants in ex- In pursuing these aspirations, Hispanics cratic majority in Orange County for the only change. have made important contributions to life in time in modern history. Mr. Barbaro was also The Spaniards and the British decided to the United States in the fields of culture, responsible for the creation of the Democratic accept the warrants and withdrew from the sports, entertainment, business enterprise, Foundation of Orange County. scene. science, politics and others. Mr. Barbaro has served in many positions But the French government’s representative Today, millions of Americans will join our with the Democratic Party of Orange County did not accept the offer and ordered his troops neighbors to the south in celebrating Cinco de or the Democratic Foundation of Orange to invade the country and head toward Mexico Mayo. County. He returned to the role of Chairman of City, the nation’s capital. the DPOC from 2003 until 2013, becoming the They had to cross through the state of On this day, we are reminded that all peo- longest serving chair in the DPOC’s history. Puebla to get to the capital. ple—regardless of their race, color, or gen- During that time, Mr. Barbaro invested his own Mexican President Benito Juarez reacted der—have enriched cultures and are worthy of money to bring in a professional staff and set immediately and prepared the defense. respect and self-determination. the foundation that would lead to the Orange He commanded Ignacio Zaragoza, a young I am happy to be here today to celebrate County ‘‘Blue Wave’’ of 2018. and brave General, to fortify the City of Puebla this momentous day and to recognize the val- Mr. Barbaro was named chair to the Orange and repel the French invaders. ues, traditions, and positive contributions of County campaigns of many prominent elected The battle was by no means even. the Mexican culture. officials, including President Barack Obama,

∑ This ‘‘bullet’’ symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor. Matter set in this typeface indicates words inserted or appended, rather than spoken, by a Member of the House on the floor.

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