Posted on 07/21/2014 3:42:09 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Texas Rep. Joaquín Castro on Monday said Gov. Rick Perry is “militarizing our border” with his reported decision to deploy state National Guard troops there.
“We should be sending the Red Cross to the border not the National Guard to deal with this humanitarian crisis,” the Democratic congressman said in an email. “The children fleeing violence in Central America are seeking out border patrol agents. They are not trying to evade them. Why send soldiers to confront these kids?”
Militarizing our border is the wrong response to the arrival of children,” Castro continued. “I remain hopeful that our state can provide a more helpful response than to send armed soldiers to greet children seeking refuge from violence.”
Castro was responding to a report from The Monitor that Perry is planning to deploy up to 1,000 Texas National Guard troops to the U.S.-Mexico border.
“At 2pm CDT today, Gov. Rick Perry will hold a press conference to discuss activating up to 1,000 National Guard troops to secure the Texas-Mexico border,” he wrote in a Facebook post on Monday.
Castro initially weighed in on the move on Sunday evening, posting the Monitor story on Twitter and tweeting: “We should be sending the Red Cross to the border not the National Guard.”
Democratic state Sen. Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa told the Texas newspaper that Perry would be making the announcement Monday afternoon.
According to an internal memo obtained the newspaper, Perry will call for a gradual escalation of Guard troops with the potential of reaching 1,000 troops after one month.
In June, Texas sent officials from the Texas Department of Public Safety to the border to focus on drug trafficking and human smuggling.
Perhaps anticipating blowback to the decision, the memo states that the move does not amount to “a militarization of the border.”
“This is not a militarization of the border,” the memo says. “The DPS and the National Guard are working to keep any drug and human trafficking south of 83 and with the goal of keeping any smuggling from entering major highways to transport East/West/and North.”
The memo estimates that the deployment of troops, in addition to the DPS forces now along the border, will cost Texas $5 million a week. The memo reports that while the state hasn’t yet determined how exactly to pay for the increase in forces, the money will come out of “non critical” areas in the budget.
Hinojosa also criticized the governor’s decision, saying it was a political decision and not about fixing the issue. “All these politicians coming down to border, they don’t care about solving the problem, they just want to make a political point,” the state senator said.
Perry has harshly criticized President Barack Obama for his handling of the influx of more than 50,000 undocumented and unaccompanied children across the U.S.-Mexico border since October. The potential 2016 presidential candidate has accused the president of not caring about the border crisis, failing to visit the border and not taking strong enough action to combat the problem.
At a House Homeland Security Committee field hearing earlier this month, Perry called on the Obama administration to deploy the National Guard to control the situation.
The governor seemingly previewed his announcement over the weekend. “If the federal government does not do its constitutional duty to secure the southern border of the United States, the state of Texas will do it,” Perry said Sunday at an event in Iowa.
I agree!
“I was in Belize, Honduras and Costa Rica last month - didn’t look any different ...”
I’m sure you’re right. “Political amnesty” is pure Obamanite B.S.
The Red Cross should receive the invaders with tacos burritos.
The Mexican Castro brothers and the Cuban Castro brothers are birds of the same feather.
If Joaquín doesn’t like it, that confirms it was the correct move.
Wonder how many he is takin in? Or maybe forego his salary for awhile to care fore them. Bet not to both.
1000 NG along the border will barely be noticed. Figure that only 250 will be available at any given time.
Putting NG on the border might send the message to STAY THE HELL AWAY.
Yup! I’m glad SOMEONE has the cojones to do it.
They have every right to fire if they feel “threatened.” And we ALL feel threatened. Rick knows this. So does Obama, who sh!ts his drawers every time Texas speaks.
If Mexico would like to invite the Red Cresent to set up on their side of the border, they can have at it - but they haven't. And I doubt they would fund it, either.
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