July 21, 2014 - By Jonathan Tilove, American-Statesman Staff
“Gov. Rick Perry is holding a news conference on border security this afternoon at the Capitol at which he is expected to announce that he will activate the Texas National Guard to help secure the Texas-Mexico border amid the dramatic influx of unaccompanied minors from Central America.
The nature of the governor’s announcement was first reported late Sunday by The Monitor in McAllen. The story quoted state Sen. Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa, D-McAllen, confirming that Perry planned to call up the state guard, as well as an internal state memo, indicating that troop strength will build to about 1,000 members of the guard in about a month’s time.
The Monitor story was retweeted by Attorney General Greg Abbott, who wrote, “Texas is now adding National Guard to secure the border.”............................”
"Hoping to stem the child migrant criss, President Barack Obama will meet next Friday with President Otto Pérez Molina of Guatemala, President Juan Orlando Hernández of Honduras, and President Salvador Sánchez Cerén of El Salvador, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said in a statement.
Here’s the full statement.
“The four leaders and Vice President Biden will discuss how to reinforce our ongoing collaboration to stem the flow of undocumented migrants from Central America to Mexico and the United States. This will include discussion of how the United States and Central American governments are cooperating to promote safe, legal, and orderly migration between our countries in a spirit of shared responsibility, including with respect to the return of family units, which began this week for all three countries. The leaders will also discuss how we can work together with other members of the international community to foster development, economic growth, and security in the region and address the factors that are causing Central American citizens to undertake the dangerous journey to the United States. The Vice President will also host a lunch for the three leaders prior to the meeting with President Obama to continue the dialogue he began on this topic in his June 20 meeting in Guatemala City.”
The summit comes as the immigration crisis continues to take center stage in Congress, with House Republicans putting together a border bill expected to deliver Obama far less than the $3.7 billion he has requested to deal with the influx.
Speaker John A. Boehner has become less optimistic that a bill will become law before the August recess, while Obama has reassured the Congressional Hispanic Caucus that the migrant children will keep due process protections."