Texas Lt. Gov: Border Plan Working, but Feds and Mexico Need to do more

ABC Houston ^ | 03/09/2016 | Ted Oberg & Trent Seibert

[BuckeyeTexan]

HOUSTON (KTRK) --

In a day-long tour of the Texas-Mexico border near McAllen on Tuesday, abc13's Ted Oberg joined Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Texas Department of Safety Director Steve McCraw in an inspection of the border, where Patrick noted gaps in border fencing and suggested that the Mexican government should help pay for the cost of a wall to keep smugglers from the U.S.

Oberg started Tuesday of this week with Patrick and McCraw in a helicopter inspection of the border. The copter later landed near the Rio Grande where the DPS showcased three of their river patrol boats, including its newest addition to the fleet, an 'extreme shallow water jet-boat' designed to quickly overtake those smuggling drugs or people over the river.

A team of Texas Rangers also showed off motion-detection surveillance cameras that are lined along the border that can track any movement. If smugglers are picked up on camera, Border Patrol or Department of Public Safety agents are dispatched.

Around 4,000 of these cameras are in use, with 1,338 on the job in the Rio Grande Valley alone, DPS records show.

This border inspection comes as Texas is in the midst of an unprecedented state effort to secure the federal border costing $800 million in state tax dollars.

[BuckeyeTexan]

Let that sink in. $800 million paid for by Texans.

[BuckeyeTexan]

Border ping.

[Eagles6]

They should set up a donation site. Probably recoup it all.

[RWGinger]

I missed the part where Patrick said the border plan was working. IT IS NOT
and number sneaking in is significantly up so far this year.
It may suit BO to have so many illegals here draining our money but it does not suit Texans, the legal ones

[Iron Munro]

If the feds “do more” it will be to arrest and prosecute anyone impeding the free flow of illegals into the 57 United States Of Obama.

[BuckeyeTexan]

I didn’t see that statement either.

[DoughtyOne]

[sheana]

It’s working if you just let them all in......and that’s what they’ve been doing.

[eartick]

Thanks for the ping

Saw other comments where what Texas was doing not working. I still stay in touch with ranches where we worked and all of them tell me that foot traffic is down. However, there is more vehicle bailouts and chases happening on the highways. The only place foot traffic has not decreased is around interior check points

I think the way our Gov Abbott is approaching this versus previously where Gov Chearleader threw all our interior DPS officers on the border (operation Linebacker) and once the illegals got past them the only ones left to stop them was CSO. CSO was being overrun.

I am not going to go into all of what Abbott is doing but McGraw has been removed from the planning stage which is a good thing.

[Ben Ficklin]

Operation Linebacker lasted only a year and was replaced by Operation Border Star in 2007.

Originally, both plans were put in place to deal the possibility that the Cartel wars, which were raging at the time, could spill over into Texas.

Back then, Prez Bush was sending Justice Dept grants to Texas to pay for most of it.

[eartick]

Yes but both pulled down our DPS in other parts of Texas to nothing leaving it vulnerable and the CSO overwhelmed is what I was getting at.

Both were huge failures and understaffed.

Governor Abbott's approach is much more robust but still lacks manpower, the Texas Militia or a Citizens Militia to secure the border. IMO.

[Ben Ficklin]

"Yes but both pulled down our DPS in other parts of Texas"

That's true but realistically there is no other way to satisfy a temporary need for additional men in a local area.

That's the way it always works, this was just a organized plan to follow for which they could train.

The County sheriff was the first responder to an event, who could, if needed, call in the Texas Ranger over that area, who had the authority to utilize deputies from surrounding counties, or if he had the need, could shift DPS officers to the incident, and if needed, could call out 1000 guardsmen.

There's nothing wrong with the plan. What you are actually complaining about is a politician invoking the plan for political reasons, to make himself look good, or tuff on the illegals, which Perry did and Abbott is now doing.

A plan that was designed to be a temporary solution to a local incident becomes semi permanent, and eventually permanent.

[eartick]

A plan that was designed to be a temporary solution to a local incident becomes semi permanent, and eventually permanent.

A plan needs to be put in place that is run by Texas that is permanent because the Feds will not do anything to stop the flow.

And please, save your comment that the election this cycle will fix it. It won't. It is all bluster.

Texas needs to take care of business