Gov. Perry defends sending Nat'l Guard to border to President of Mexico
AUSTIN, Texas — Gov. Rick Perry took issue with the characterization from Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto that sending up to 1,000 Texas National Guard troops south to help with law enforcement is not only "unpleasant" but "reprehensible."
The pro-business president derided Perry's National Guard dispatch in an interview with the daily El Universal newspaper last week, praising instead Mexico's relationship with the state of California. So Wednesday Perry shot back in a letter to the president that said Mexico held part of the blame for its "failure" to secure its border, and he invited Peña Nieto to come to Texas to see the National Guard and law enforcement's "professionalism."
"I believe strongly that our continued prosperity depends on a partnership that works collaboratively to address our shared border security challenges, rather than marginalizing the legitimate views of one side," Perry wrote. " Our partnership cannot advance if we fail to acknowledge the serious issues associated with lax border enforcement along both of our southern borders."
The National Guard move came amid tens of thousands of unaccompanied children coming up from a violent Central America, and Perry said that while U.S. Border Patrol was overwhelmed, he wanted the National Guard to help the Texas Department of Public Safety with law enforcement, such as by being a presence and lookout.
Read more: http://www.caller.com/columnists/matthew-waller/gov-perry-defends-sending-natl-guard-to-border_61864055
= new reply since forum marked as read
