MCALLEN, Texas–Texas media outlets are reporting Texas Governor Rick Perry is preparing to deploy the Texas National Guard to portions of the Texas/Mexico border.
State Senator Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa (D-McAllen) confirmed the pending announcement of Perry’s decision to deploy 1,000 soldiers from the Texas National Guard to the border. The goal of the guard deployment is to bolster the work of the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) State Troopers, according to Jennifer Saenz, a spokesperson for Sen. Hinojosa.
“The senator understands that Perry wants this troop build-up, but is not sure what kind of federal approval he needs for it. He just knows he wants to deploy 1,000 troops there,” Saenz said in an article posted on the Houston Chronicle.
On July 18, Breitbart Texas reported that a coalition of conservative, tea party, and grassroots activists met in Austin, Texas at the State Capitol to demand that Gov. Perry deploy the Texas National Guard and call the Texas Legislature into special session to handle the surge of illegal immigration in South Texas.
A press conference is scheduled for 2 p.m. Central Time in Austin to make the formal announcement.
The McAllen Monitor reported an internal memo from a different state official that states the troops will be deployed to the western areas of the Rio Grande Valley and to ranch lands further north.
Breitbart Texas has reported extensively on the problems ranchers face in Brooks County surrounding the city of Falfurrias — where law enforcement is so strapped, the local sheriff’s office is down to only one deputy per shift to cover the nearly 900 miles of ranch lands.
The leaked memo states: “This is not a militarization of the border. The DPS and the National Guard are working to keep any drug and human trafficking south of [U.S. Highway] 83 and with the goal of keeping any smuggling from entering major highways to transport East/West/and North.”
It is estimated the deployment of the National Guard will be up to $12 million per month. Nearly $10 million of that would fund personnel and vehicles, while an additional $2.4 million will be expended on helicopters.
Bob Price is a staff writer and a member of the original Breitbart Texas team. Follow him on Twitter: @BobPriceBBTX.
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