Texas Gov. Rick Perry plans to deploy as many as 1,000 National Guard troops to South Texas to bolster security along the Mexico border, a local lawmaker confirmed Monday.
Rep. Terry Canales said he was briefed by his staff on Sunday following a conference call with the governor's office, Texas National Guard and the state Department of Public Safety. Perry is scheduled to make the announcement Monday afternoon.
More than 3,000 Border Patrol agents currently work in the region, and Perry has repeatedly asked President Barack Obama to send the National Guard to the border. The region has been overwhelmed in recent months by unaccompanied children illegally entering the U.S.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday. The governor's plans were first reported by The Monitor newspaper in McAllen, Texas.
Perry announced in June that the state would steer another $1.3 million each week to the Department of Public Safety to assist in border security through at least the end of the year. In a letter to Obama on June 20, Perry made several requests for help along the border, including 1,000 National Guard troops, additional helicopters and giving troops "arrest powers to support Border Patrol operations until sufficient Border Patrol resources can be hired, trained and deployed to the border."
