Governor Perry said the troops would work alongside law enforcement. The move comes after a surge of unaccompanied Central American children crossed the border illegally. More than 57,000 children, many fleeing gang violence and extreme poverty at home, have crossed the border since October.
In a news conference, the Governor said criminals would see the influx of children as an opportunity to be exploited. Moreover, he said that more than 203,000 "criminal aliens" had been booked into Texas jails since 2008.
"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," said Perry. "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."
The Texas National Guard deployment will cost the state of Texas as much as $12 million per month. President Obama, has called for comprehensive immigration reform that would provide some path to legal status for the millions of undocumented immigrants living in the US as well as strengthen security at the border.
In response to the recent flood of illegal-immigrant children, the President has asked Congress for $3.7 billion to hire extra immigration judges, provide drone surveillance of the border, and fund medical services. Republicans in Congress rejected the request.
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
