Texas Gov. Rick Perry on Sunday called on President Obama to “be a leader” and stop blaming House Republicans or anyone else for the flood of unaccompanied children streaming across the U.S.-Mexico border.
Three days after Mr. Perry, a Republican, met with the president in Dallas, he repeated his call for National Guard troops on the border as a show of force and a deterrent against illegal immigration. The governor also said Mr. Obama’s poor track record on immigration has contributed to the growing problem of thousands of children from Central America and elsewhere seeking safe haven in the U.S.
“Until he gets realistic about the problem and how you deal with the problem — it is a border security issue. And we’ve got a track record now of five plus years of him disregarding what’s going on on the border,” Mr. Perry said during an interview on “Fox News Sunday.”
“So here is his opportunity to truly lead,” the governor continued. “Don’t blame this on anyone. Be a leader. Lay out a plan.”
Mr. Perry also seemed to reject the president’s call for help in pushing Congress to approve $3.7 billion to deal with the crisis. After their Dallas meeting, Mr. Obama asked Mr. Perry to convince congressional Republicans — particularly the Texas delegation in the House — to green-light the funds.
The governor said that amount of money is unnecessary, and top House Republicans also appear unwilling to sign off on such a request.
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“We’re not going to write a blank check for $4 billion,” said Rep. Michael McCaul, Texas Republican and chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee.
Mr. McCaul also appeared on “Fox News Sunday.”
• Ben Wolfgang can be reached at bwolfgang@washingtontimes.com.
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