Silvestre "Silver" Reyes[2] (born November 10, 1944) is an American politician who was the U.S. representative for Texas's 16th congressional district, serving from 1997 to 2013.

In 2008 Reyes served as the Southwest Co-Chairman for Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign along with Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee.

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.

He graduated from Canutillo High School and received his associate degree from El Paso Community College.

Immigrant-rights groups also protested the strategy, as it was effective in deterring illegal immigrants from crossing in protected urban areas such as El Paso and San Diego, California, and as such forced them to cross through desolate and more dangerous parts of the Southwestern 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, along with other factors, in reducing illegal immigration.

As a senior member of both the Armed Services and (formerly) Select Intelligence Committees, Reyes was a key player in developing military and defense policy.

On March 27, 2009, Reyes was tapped by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi to lead a high-level Congressional Delegation to meet with President Felipe Calderón of Mexico.

"[8] Yet, a month later, when President George W. Bush proposed sending approximately 21,500 more troops, Reyes said to the El Paso Times, "we don't have the capability to escalate even to this minimal level.

[11] The Frontera Land Alliance presented Reyes with the organization's "Rock Award" in 2010 for his efforts to preserve Castner Range in Northeast El Paso for conservation purposes.

As a senior Member of the House Armed Services Committee, Reyes worked to transfer ownership of Castner Range from the Department of Defense to preserve the 7,000-acres of undeveloped desert, foothills, and mountains in Northeast El Paso.

In 2012, Reyes lost the Democratic primary to former El Paso City Council member Beto O'Rourke, taking 44.4 percent of the vote—just a few hundred votes short of forcing a runoff.