Governor Rick Perry is getting a firsthand look at the training of 1,000 National Guard troops he has ordered deployed to the Texas-Mexico border ahead of their assignment.
On Wednesday, Perry thanked the troops during his visit to Camp Swift Army National Guard training center in Bastrop, TX. It's unclear when the troops will actually go to the border.
Perry has called the influx of unaccompanied children pouring illegally onto U.S. soil a "side issue" in his decision to send in the Guard.
Instead, Perry said he is more interested in stopping crime that he said has spiked while overwhelmed federal authorities were distracted. He characterized the criminals as "narco-terrorists".
"What we've seen over the last recent months is that Washington's continual neglect of the Southern border is allowing some aggressive criminals to use that border to penetrate into our state," said Perry.
People in North and South Carolina and Iowa realize the crime doesn't stop at the Texas border, he added.
Perry also said as the border patrol is spread thinner due to the increased influx of criminals, it leaves gaps that are getting bigger.
He said the troops are the tip of the spear. As illegals are able to get through the troops they are able to spread their tentacles to any city in the country and spread crime and fear.
