Texas governor voices criticism regarding US federal border policies

Saturday, July 12, 2014

In recent days, Rick Perry, governor of the US state of Texas, has openly criticized US federal actions pertaining to the US–Mexico border. The governor specifically criticized President Obama's actions in an editorial yesterday, saying, "President Obama's appropriations request only deals with one aspect of the current crisis on our southern border, while barely addressing its root cause: an unsecured border."

Perry stated, "Of the $3.7 billion in President Obama's request [to Congress], only a small fraction is directly dedicated to border security efforts, which are absolutely essential to resolving this crisis, and avoiding more such crises in the future."

He went on to say the US government's efforts are only addressing the outer effects of "a much-larger problem. And as we know with treating symptoms, the problems will continue until the root cause is resolved." The governor also called on President Obama to "make securing the border the top priority in resolving this crisis." The governor suggests sending "1,000 National Guard troops to the Texas–Mexico border to support operations until sufficient Border Patrol agents can be hired, trained and deployed."

Perry stated outright on Sunday, on ABC's This Week, he does not believe President Obama "particularly cares" about making the US–Mexico border secure.

Others have criticized the government's actions. The founder and president of The Minuteman Project, Jim Gilchrist, said his organization consisting of unarmed civilian militia are set to launch efforts to help patrol the US–Mexico border in coming months. He said his group is set to recruit over 3,000 people to assist in the effort. He told FOX News, "We are coming because we no longer trust that this government knows how to handle this issue".

Influx of illegal immigrants, many unaccompanied children, has impacted Texas infrastructure recently.

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Sources

Arlette Saenz. "How Rick Perry Won the Week" — ABC News, July 11, 2014
Rick Perry. "Securing the Border Must be Top Priority" — Office of the Governor of Texas, July 11, 2014
Joshua Rhett Miller. "Minuteman Project ready to return to border amid wave of illegal immigration" — FOX News, July 10, 2014

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