Gov. Rick Perry told a gathering of 90 or so National Guard members at Camp Swift that their mission on the border was to keep drug dealers from “spreading their tentacles” into Texas and throughout the heartland of America.
“You are now the tip of the spear, protecting Americans from these cartels and gangs,” Mr. Perry said, the Los Angeles Times reported.
He also expressed optimism with the volunteer turnout rate of Texas Guard members, noting that when he recently requested 1,000, he actually got 2,200 to come forward, the Los Angeles Times said.
The troops are on their way to help the Department of Public Safety staff the border.
So far, the DPS mission has proven a success, and actually cut in half the number of illegals apprehended on the border in the last five weeks, Mr. Perry said, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Mr. Perry declined to say how long his state-funded border enforcement effort — which he called a “stopgap measure” — would last, or specify when the new troops would arrive.
He also reiterated that the federal government — not states — had the constitutional responsibility to pay for the border protection, the Los Angeles Times reported.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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