Perry’s Guard Surge Follows Record Buildup Along Border
Political Science Professor Cal Jillson talks about the 1,000 Texas National Guard troops Governor Rick Perry will send to the Mexican border.
By Esmé E. Deprez and Darrell Preston
The 1,000 Texas National Guard troops Governor Rick Perry will send to the Mexican border will augment almost 10,000 federal agents already there, part of an unprecedented buildup guarding a line with more physical obstacles than ever.
Droves of unaccompanied children are flooding the southern U.S. border, many surrendering to the first official available in the mistaken belief that they’ll be allowed to stay. Perry, a Republican considering a second run for the White House who has led a chorus of politicians blaming President Barack Obama for the crisis, said his order is aimed at protecting Texans from drug smugglers and lawbreakers. . .
Perry took office in late 2000 and is Texas’s longest-serving governor. A run for the 2012 presidential nomination was dashed during a debate in suburban Detroit, where he couldn’t remember the name of the third of three government agencies he’d pledged to eliminate.
“The insecurity on the border has brought him to a position where he can implement something he advocated for years and rebuild his reputation,” said Calvin Jillson, professor of political science at Southern Methodist University in Dallas.
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