Texas Gov. Rick Perry has come up with a plan to send 1,000 National Guard soldiers to the border of Texas and Mexico, as well as double the current amount of border patrol officials due to the ongoing humanitarian crisis involving thousands upon thousands of illegal immigrant children.
According to CNN, both state government and the federal government have the ability to call upon the National Guard; however, whoever deploys the troop must pick up the tab. The Rio Grande part of the border is where the majority of the illegal immigrants are entering the country; this section of the border has 3,000 workers to guard about 570 miles of water and ground, but some of the workers there are temporarily placed and the Rio Grande opening of the border is the biggest opening. Perry would like to send 3,000 more workers to the area to replace the temporary workers and to heighten security, along with dispatching 1,000 National Guard troops.
Perry met with president Barrack Obama last month to discuss the president’s plans to deal with the matter; yet he did not mention any plans to send National Guard troops to the border. Thus Perry decided to take a stand on how he felt the situation should be handled. Perry sent a letter to Obama on June 20th, asking for 1,000 National Guard troops as well as helicopters. He also asked to give troops the authority to arrest immigrants until enough permanent border patrol officials are trained and sent to the border. Perry will assist in covering the expenses by providing $1.3 million a week to the Department of Public Safety for the next few months, The Associated Press noted.
Over 57,000 immigrants have crossed the border this year alone, which is 19,000 more than last year. Crime has also increased along the border as the numbers continue to grow. Perry will unveil his plans later on today in Austin, Texas.