Texas Gov. Rick Perry said Monday he’ll send 1,000 Texas National Guard troops to the border to help grapple with the crush of immigrant kids streaming into his state. There are already 3,000 federal Customs and Border Protection agents in the region.
The reinforcements won’t be making arrests. Instead, they’ll assist state and local law enforcement trying to counter the surge in smuggling operations ferrying the children across the US-Mexican border.
“I will not stand idly by,” said Perry, a possible 2016 Republican presidential candidate. “The price of inaction is too high.”
Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott said he wants the feds to pick up the tab, estimated at $12 million a month.
“Texans are willing to put boots on the ground, but we expect Washington to foot the bill,” he said.
The White House said it that hadn’t gotten a communication from Perry and that a better solution would be to pass a comprehensive immigration law.