By: Veronica Zaragovia, KUT NEWS
AUSTIN–Governor Rick Perry is sending National Guard troops to the Texas-Mexico border
He says the troops are needed, as the Border Patrol has been focusing on the migrant children crossing the border illegally and not the criminal activity from drug and human traffickers.
KUT’s Veronica Zaragovia reports.
Governor Rick Perry’s announcement comes a month after he directed the Legislature to spend millions of dollars increasing the number of Department of Public Safety officers near the border.
And Governor Perry says it’s working. Because of Operation Strong Safety, he says 36 percent fewer people have been apprehended in a three-week span. But apparently more needs to be done. Which is why Perry is sending 1000 National Guard troops to the Rio Grande Valley.
RICK PERRY: These additional resources will help combat the brutal Mexican drug cartels that are preying up on our communities and also will help deter others before they have a chance to harm our citizens and become criminal aliens within our borders.
Major General John Nichols with the Texas National Guard says the troops will be deployed over the next 30 days, and will be in support of the Texas DPS.
JOHN NICHOLS: We’re gonna prepare ourselves for a supporting role. We support DPS, we support civil the National Guard. We’re your citizen soldiers and airmen. We’re you’re Texas brethren, we live next door to you, we work with you. In times of need we come to your aid.
Those additional DPS personal we’re already costing the state 1.3 million dollars a week. The guard troops could cost up to 12 million a month. Many Republicans say they expect the federal government to pay back the state.
A number of Democrats are criticizing the Governor’s decision.
State Senator Juan Chuy Hinojosa, a McAllen Democrat, says the border should not be militarized.
JUAN HINOJOSA: The reality is that we’re managing the situation in the Rio Grande Valley. We have the churches, the charitable organizations, we have individuals volunteering to help clothe, feed, house and provide health checkups to these families. They’re not armed, they’re not carrying weapons. So the calling of the National Guard sends the wrong message.
Meanwhile, the White House says the number of unaccompanied minors crossing the border has been dropping.
President Barack Obama plans to meet Friday with the presidents of Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras, where many of these children come from.
Veronica Zaragovia KUT News.
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