Abbott demands more federal border resources
Amid reports of a spike in illegal border crossings, Gov. Greg Abbott is again pushing the federal government to fortify the Texas-Mexico border, demanding “immediate and bold action” from the Homeland Security Department.
On Wednesday, Abbott sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson asking that 250 more Border Patrol agents be sent to Texas. Abbott also asked for five aerostats — blimplike aircraft — to help law officers combat drug smuggling.
And he wants to know more about the conditions under which illegal immigrants are released to relatives or private groups across the state.
A fourth request is for continued collaboration with federal agencies on the operation of two detention centers in Texas.
… The federal government must act to reverse the tide of this mounting crisis.
Gov. Greg Abbott
In August, the Border Patrol arrested almost 10,000 immigrant families and unaccompanied children trying to illegally cross the border, a 52 percent increase from the same month in 2014. The White House has called the increase “concerning” and “surprising,” noting that the numbers typically decline in August because of the weather.
Before June last year, tens of thousands of unaccompanied children from Central America showed up at the border in what was called a humanitarian crisis. That wave led then-Gov. Rick Perry to dispatch the National Guard to the Rio Grande Valley.
In the letter, Abbott emphasized that Texas is doing its part to secure the border, citing the $800 million plan he signed into law in June. Among other things, the plan calls for 250 new Texas Department of Public Safety troopers to be stationed in the border area.
“Texas will continue to be assertive in securing our border,” Abbott wrote. “But given recent reports that our southern border has become more porous — not less, it is clearer than ever that the federal government must act to reverse the tide of this mounting crisis.”
The Homeland Security Department did not respond to a request for comment.
This story was originally published September 30, 2015 at 5:02 PM with the headline "Abbott demands more federal border resources."