Texas Gov. Rick Perry has called on Mexican President Peña Nieto to control his country's "criminal element" in a letter inviting him to come to the Lone Star State to hammer out their differences.
His scathing remarks are the latest in a war of words between the two leaders over the Republican governor's decision to deploy 1,000 National Guard troops on the Southern border to help handle the immigration crisis.
"Our challenges today are partly a consequence of the failure of the Mexican government to secure its southern border from illegal immigration by unaccompanied children and other individuals from Central America, or to deploy adequate resources to control the criminal element in Mexico," Perry wrote, according to the
Dallas Morning News.
Last week Nieto slammed the National Guard deployment, which Perry says is aimed at supporting local law enforcement officials and federal Border Patrol agents in dealing with the surge of illegal immigrants.
Noting it was "an attack on good relations and neighborliness,"
Nieto called the measure "unpleasant" and "reprehensible," and said that Texas and Mexico should work together to resolve their challenges "rather than marginalizing the legitimate views of one side."
In his letter, Perry wrote, "Our unique relationship as neighbors who share a nearly 2,000-mile border not only requires a spirit of cooperation, but a willingness to confront problems with direct, candid dialogue."
The governor invited Nieto to see first-hand the professional job that the National Guard is doing on the border, the
Houston Chronicle reported.
"I have an obligation to put the safety of our citizens first," Perry wrote. "Those obeying our laws have nothing to fear from our increased law enforcement presence."
"Our shared border represents a common opportunity to enforce the rule of law and continue a productive dialogue that addresses the evolving realities and challenges of border security.
"I would be honored to host you in Texas, and am hopeful the United States and Mexico can work as partners to find solutions to these challenges, now and in the future."