Posted on 07/22/2014 6:23:14 AM PDT by xzins
On July 3, 2014, Texas Governor Rick Perry told Members of the U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security that urgent federal action was required to stem the humanitarian and national security crises unfolding along the Texas-Mexico border.
After almost three weeks of inaction by the Obama administration, yesterday, Gov. Perry directed Texas Adjutant General John Nichols to immediately begin preparations for the deployment of up to 1,000 National Guard troops to the U.S. – Mexico border. These troops will support the Texas Department of Public Safety’s (DPS) ongoing law enforcement surge, Operation Strong Safety, which is focused on combatting criminal activity in the region resulting from the federal government’s failure to adequately secure the border.
In his testimony before the House Committee on Homeland Security Perry said that, “The rapid influx of illegal immigrants has strained border resources that were already insufficient to the task at hand. Officials who should be guarding the border are dealing with the overflow instead of fulfilling their primary tasks.
“As a result, the border between the U.S. and Mexico is less secure today than at any time in the recent past, which is why we ordered the new surge.
“We know that drug cartels and transnational gangs are already seeking to take advantage of the situation, attempting to circumvent security and spread pain and suffering on both sides of the border through their criminal activities.
“We're also in danger at the hands of those who might be slipping through from countries with known terrorist ties. With a range of potential threats facing us from abroad, this is not the time to turn our attention elsewhere.”
Since 2008, more than 203,000 criminal aliens have been booked into Texas county jails. Over the course of their criminal careers, these individuals have committed more than 640,000 crimes in the state of Texas alone, including more than 3,000 homicides and nearly 8,000 sexual assaults.
“There can be no national security without border security, and Texans have paid too high a price for the federal government’s failure to secure our border,” Gov. Perry said. “The action I am ordering today will tackle this crisis head-on by multiplying our efforts to combat the cartel activity, human traffickers and individual criminals who threaten the safety of people across Texas and America.”
This deployment builds upon Operation Strong Safety by providing additional personnel that will work seamlessly and side by side with law enforcement officials. It also builds on the National Guard’s existing border presence, which has been utilizing air assets to patrol the region looking for illegal activity.
Texas has already seen results from Operation Strong Safety – from week 1 to week 3 of operations, apprehensions of illegal immigrants have dropped by 36 percent, from more than 6,600 per week to 4,200 per week in the area of operation.
Perry’s office has said the Guard will largely play a role of “deter and refer” – deter border crime by their visible presence along the border and refer illegal acts, including border crossings, to law enforcement. They don’t plan to apprehend illegal immigrants, though, technically, they could, said Texas Adjutant General John Nichols.
The Texas Guard will also assist with humanitarian needs of migrants who may approach them and ask to be taken to a Border Patrol station. The Guard will be equipped with water, most will have lifesaving skills, and they will call immediately for medical help.
Two weeks ago, Gov. Perry met with President Barack Obama to discuss the ongoing humanitarian and national security crises occurring along the Texas-Mexico border. At this meeting, the governor reiterated his request for the president to activate 1,000 Title 32 National Guard troops to temporarily support border security operations until 3,000 additional Border Patrol personnel can be trained and deployed. Unlike the governor’s activation which will be paid for by Texas taxpayer dollars, a Title 32 activation would have provided additional, federally funded personnel to be used at the state’s discretion.
“I think Perry deserves credit.”
I agree. This action is going to cost the State of Texas a great deal of money.
I am hoping, as I am sure Gov. Perry is, that this will “shame” the POTUS into action. However, I doubt it will.
BTW - IF this was truly an “invasion” of our country (in the military sense) then the Regular Army could be legally used to repel it. I do not think the courts would consider the current situation to be such that regulars could be used because it isn’t a real “threat” to national security that requires a military force.(I would not agree with them though)
vs. whom?
he’s had a Cold War going with me and just about everyone on this forum from day one.
As I read the Constitution, it appears to be the state’s decision whether they are being invaded or not.
Article 1, Section 10: “No State shall, without the Consent of Congress, lay any Duty of Tonnage, keep Troops, or Ships of War in time of Peace, enter into any Agreement or Compact with another State, or with a foreign Power, or engage in War, unless actually invaded, or in such imminent Danger as will not admit of delay”
You have for a long time, been a FRiend here on Free Republic. I’ll read you research, and I’ll take your opinions seriously because you obviously care.
I do agree with Lakeshark that we need to be careful not to kill of viable conservatives and leave the field to the liberal establishment types by default.
Perry is right on so much that is important to me. Especially on Jesus, prayer, religion, life. I hope he’s not misinterpreting Old Testament instructions regarding aliens in the land of Israel.
Should have pinged you to 85
I am as anti amnesty as you, and suspect XZINS is as well. It is important Not to exaggerate the records and statements of Walker and Perry just to give Cruz a boost, as he hasn’t focused on this issue nearly as much as he should have either. It’s most important we not do the things that the ex poster pissant did when he couldn’t stop people from choosing Palin as their favorite.
Again another disappointment by my governor.
Why does he not catch these illegal invaders when he sees them, turn them back at the river and say Vamos...
Anyone can be trained to see, call and back away. Does not take the NG to do this. We need them to be locked and loaded sitting on the river turning back this tide. Leave the observing to someone else, civilian group for instance.
More of our tax dollar pissed away....
Right!
The only people Obama absolutely HATES are Americans - - - - .
Thank you for posting this information.
Guard units train one weekend a month, more or less, and activate for at least two weeks per year for more intense refresher training. If Perry and his brain trust are clever they should be able to do a bunch of re-scheduling and leap-frogging of regular drills to minimize the financial effects of a mobilization. But Perry said he would send the Fedgov the bill for the stand-up anyway so I assume he already has that paperwork going. In either case money can’t be used as an excuse for foot-dragging-—there’s plenty of it-—like, oh, say, pulling a billion out of the EPA. Just to throw a dart at an overfed gummint.
I don’t think they can dodge around the training requirements to have the Fed pay for their border duty. My memory is that NG training listed date/time and PLACE of duty.
Well listen to you, my suggestion a few days ago was to give each kid a bottle of water and a sandwich and bus ‘em back home.
We are not far apart, imagine that! Unless you are not in favor of the free sandwich.
What would really be good to know is the actual ‘law of the land’ with regards to illegals,
how they are to be processed, by whom, how they are to be detained or returned to their
country, who’s responsible for each part, etc. I know there is an immigration process,
paperwork, submit, wait your turn but this is beyond that since these are coming
into the country without following those procedures.
My sense is that the primaries will determine the republican candidate. The candidate with the most delegates will again be the nominee. We will know pretty early whether: (1) Cruz will even run, and (2) whether his opponents will fashion an attack against him that will turn Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina against him. If they do, then he’ll not be the nominee.
What we all need to do is have a #2 candidate in case Cruz doesn’t make it. I will not vote for a fake conservative, but I will vote for the MOST consistently conservative throughout his lifetime. (I’d love to get to vote for Jeff Sessions, but I don’t think he’ll run.)
I need to decide early on who those are acceptable alternate candidates are. I really don’t want Hillary or Warren or Moonbeam or Biden or Michelle.
We would need more than 1k, in fact 20k would be the perfect number.
Perry should be taking more action. He's being to hesitant and it will hurt
him more than give him credit if he chooses to run in 2016.
Perry needs to create a bigger stink and throw blame where it belongs
instead of trying to play that Damn nice guy crap. Dems do not play nicey nice, PERRY!
They are laughing at you picking up the lunch tray they knocked into your lap.
I watched pissant go literally mad attacking Sarah Palin, just because his preferred candidate did not have her capacity; every once in a while I STILL have to correct one of those who believes that PALIN is an open borders amnesty shill as a result of his spamming the same kind of nonsense.
Like I said earlier, this is one of the reasons we as conservatives have become losers. Dealing in exaggeration to help take down another decent candidate is simply wrong, and I say this as a loyal Cruz fan.
Don't go the way of pissant, Cruz doesn't need that, rather he needs you to point out his many genuine strengths.
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