It is not the State of Texas’ job to secure the border
Perry has made that pretty clear. He like Obama likes to blame someone else. We already have one complainer.....WE DON’T NEED ANOTHER.
Our State has spent our own money, time and lives doing the job that is reserved to the Feds by the Constitution. Our Governor has led where the Feds have refused.
Governor Perry has been active in border security and controlling illegal immigration since early in his first term as Governor.
During his first Session of the Texas Legislature, he vetoed a bill that would have allowed illegal aliens to obtain drivers’ licenses. (We got a law that prohibits them, this year. It takes a while when our Legislature only meets for 4 months every 2 years.)
Immediately after September 11, 2001 attacks on Washington, DC and New York’s World Trade Center, the Governor helped coordinate the deployment of 530 National Guardsmen at airports all over the State. In November 2001, he added 133 more to the number of National Guards posted at 27 airports in Texas. http://governor.state.tx.us/news/press-release/4233/
In October 1, 2001, Governor Perry announced the creation of the Governor’s Task Force on Homeland Security. http://governor.state.tx.us/news/executive-order/4440/
In June, 2002, the Governor announced that Texas would receive Federal grants for building border security facilities at the border crossings. These facilities would inspect trucks and other vehicles that cross from Mexico into Texas. (there were none before 2002). http://governor.state.tx.us/news/speech/10787/
In May, 2002, the Governor used funds from his own office to institute Counter Terrorism training at the Port of Houston and another separate program to train state and local law enforcement. http://governor.state.tx.us/news/press-release/4322/
When the Texas Legislature refused to fund his program to implement a "virtual border" using camera surveillance to augment "boots on the ground," so he used money from the Governor’s discretionary fund. In some cases, local sheriffs and cities refused to cooperate and their opposition impeded full implementation of the program.