By Christy Hoppe
Gov. Rick Perry and several other state leaders have announced the National Guard deployment. Perry called the troops a “force multiplier” that would help DPS and other law enforcement officials deal with criminal activity by those entering the country illegally.
The guard troops will be embedded with state troopers and other law enforcement because they cannot legally detain someone on their own authority.
“I will not stand idly by while American citizens are attacked and children are living in squalor,” Perry said in explaining his action.
He gave no indication where the funding for the operation would come from, instead saying that he hoped the federal government would eventually reimburse the state for the $12 million monthly cost of calling up the Guard.
Perry said he is concerned about the human costs of allowing cartel, gangs and criminals to come across the border while the Border Patrol is preoccupied with the surge of unaccompanied children.
“The price of inaction is too high for Texans to pay,” Perry said.
Attorney General Greg Abbott — the Republican aiming to follow Perry as governor — was also on hand and said his office was prepared to offer help with legal questions.
Democrats said the deployment was mostly for show. Sen. Wendy Davis of Fort Worth, Abbott’s Democratic opponent this fall, reiterated her call for a special legislative session to aid law-enforcement agencies and border communities.
“The need for action remains, given the continued failure by our leaders in Washington to live up to their responsibility to secure our border,” she said in a written statement. “If the federal government won’t act, Texas must and will. However, we should be deploying additional deputy sheriffs to the border like local law enforcement is calling for, rather than Texas National Guard units who aren’t even authorized to make arrests.”
The governor’s office confirmed this morning that Rick Perry will order 1,000 National Guard troops to the Texas border to beef up patrols in South Texas.
But sheriffs along the border said they have not been consulted and question the wisdom of sending military personnel who are not authorized to stop, question or arrest anyone.
“At this time, a lot of people do things for political reasons. I don’t know that it helps,” said Cameron County Sheriff Omar Lucio, pictured right.
Lucio said deputies, police and the U.S. Border Patrol work well together and that they have been able to handle the small uptick in crime along the border.
“I don’t know what good they can do,” Lucio said of military personnel. “I need people who I can hire who know the community, the language and who can help.”
Hidalgo County Sheriff Eddie Guerra also told the McAllen Monitor that the Guard troops can’t make arrests and he didn’t know what their objective would be.
“The National Guard — they’re trained in warfare; they’re not trained in law enforcement,” he said. “I need to find out what their actual role is going to be, but I think the money would be better spent giving local law enforcement more funds.”
Perry has appeared on news shows and at political events around the country saying that if Washington wasn’t prepared to secure the border, he would act unilaterally.
In a press conference scheduled for 2 p.m., Perry will appear with Attorney General Greg Abbott, who is running for governor, and Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst to announce the military surge.
They have reasoned that drug and human traffickers might be taking advantage of border conditions and move contraband through the area. Along with redeployed state troopers, the Republican leaders have indicated that having “boots on the ground” might serve as a deterrent.
The border has been overwhelmed with the influx of 57,000 unaccompanied children, mostly from Honduras, who have been fleeing gang violence. Many are voluntarily turning themselves in to the first American authority they see.
The estimated cost to state taxpayers for the surge, including Department of Public Safety and the Guard personnel, is $5 million a week.
The border sheriffs said they could hire a lot of new deputies with that money.
“You just can’t come out here and be a police officer,” Lucio said, adding that he is concerned at the move to militarize the border.
“Eventually, they might get into trouble,” he said of the Guard. “They’re trained for different things.”
The guard troops will be embedded with state troopers and other law enforcement because they cannot legally detain someone on their own authority.
“I will not stand idly by while American citizens are attacked and children are living in squalor,” Perry said in explaining his action.
He gave no indication where the funding for the operation would come from, instead saying that he hoped the federal government would eventually reimburse the state for the $12 million monthly cost of calling up the Guard.
Perry said he is concerned about the human costs of allowing cartel, gangs and criminals to come across the border while the Border Patrol is preoccupied with the surge of unaccompanied children.
“The price of inaction is too high for Texans to pay,” Perry said.
Attorney General Greg Abbott — the Republican aiming to follow Perry as governor — was also on hand and said his office was prepared to offer help with legal questions.
Democrats said the deployment was mostly for show. Sen. Wendy Davis of Fort Worth, Abbott’s Democratic opponent this fall, reiterated her call for a special legislative session to aid law-enforcement agencies and border communities.
“The need for action remains, given the continued failure by our leaders in Washington to live up to their responsibility to secure our border,” she said in a written statement. “If the federal government won’t act, Texas must and will. However, we should be deploying additional deputy sheriffs to the border like local law enforcement is calling for, rather than Texas National Guard units who aren’t even authorized to make arrests.”
The governor’s office confirmed this morning that Rick Perry will order 1,000 National Guard troops to the Texas border to beef up patrols in South Texas.
But sheriffs along the border said they have not been consulted and question the wisdom of sending military personnel who are not authorized to stop, question or arrest anyone.
“At this time, a lot of people do things for political reasons. I don’t know that it helps,” said Cameron County Sheriff Omar Lucio, pictured right.
Lucio said deputies, police and the U.S. Border Patrol work well together and that they have been able to handle the small uptick in crime along the border.
“I don’t know what good they can do,” Lucio said of military personnel. “I need people who I can hire who know the community, the language and who can help.”
Hidalgo County Sheriff Eddie Guerra also told the McAllen Monitor that the Guard troops can’t make arrests and he didn’t know what their objective would be.
“The National Guard — they’re trained in warfare; they’re not trained in law enforcement,” he said. “I need to find out what their actual role is going to be, but I think the money would be better spent giving local law enforcement more funds.”
Perry has appeared on news shows and at political events around the country saying that if Washington wasn’t prepared to secure the border, he would act unilaterally.
In a press conference scheduled for 2 p.m., Perry will appear with Attorney General Greg Abbott, who is running for governor, and Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst to announce the military surge.
They have reasoned that drug and human traffickers might be taking advantage of border conditions and move contraband through the area. Along with redeployed state troopers, the Republican leaders have indicated that having “boots on the ground” might serve as a deterrent.
The border has been overwhelmed with the influx of 57,000 unaccompanied children, mostly from Honduras, who have been fleeing gang violence. Many are voluntarily turning themselves in to the first American authority they see.
The estimated cost to state taxpayers for the surge, including Department of Public Safety and the Guard personnel, is $5 million a week.
The border sheriffs said they could hire a lot of new deputies with that money.
“You just can’t come out here and be a police officer,” Lucio said, adding that he is concerned at the move to militarize the border.
“Eventually, they might get into trouble,” he said of the Guard. “They’re trained for different things.”
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.