The federal government has a constitutional duty to secure America's porous southern border but if the Obama administration refuses to do so, Texas Gov. Rick Perry says he's prepared to do what it takes.
"It is clear that our federal government has failed in one of their most important responsibilities and that is to secure the border with Mexico, in this case.
"Certainly there is very good intelligence that Mexico and that southern border with the United States has one of the potentials to allow individuals to come into this country," Perry said Thursday during an appearance on Newsmax TV's "America's Forum," where he discussed immigration, border security and terrorism.
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In July, Perry deployed 1,000 National Guard troops to the South Texas border to help stem the flow of illegal immigrants flooding the country through the Rio Grande.
He pointed out Thursday that 55 percent of all apprehensions of
illegal immigrants last year occurred along the 1,800-mile border between Mexico and Texas.
"That's the reason we've asked the president and Washington so often to do their duty, do their constitutional duty, send the resources, send the aviation assets, send the drones to defend and secure that border," he said.
"It can be done. You put the boots on the ground, the technology in the air, use the strategic fencing in the metropolitan areas, and that border can be secured. And Americans will sleep better knowing that their federal government is actually doing their constitutional duty."
To ensure America's safety and security, Perry suggests three courses of action the president should take:
"Opening up the
XL Pipeline, opening up our federal estate to get the people working and getting out country more energy secure," he said.
"I'd add some corporate tax reforms that gave incentives to companies to continue to really look at expanding their manufacturing in the United States as these oil prices continue to go down and shale prices continue to push down the cost of electric power. There's no reason that America can't have a renaissance in the manufacturing side," Perry said.
"Then obviously, the third thing is border security. We have to have Washington doing its duty, but I tell people, I said listen, if Washington's not going to do its duty to secure the Texas and Mexico border, Texas will. We're going to send the resources that we need whether it's our law enforcement, whether it's our National Guard, to continue to send the message that Texas is going to do everything that it needs to do to keep its citizens safe and an extension of that."
Perry characterized President Barack Obama's absence at the
Paris unity rally last week as a huge mistake and a missed opportunity to show the world, especially Islamic terrorists, the West's solidarity.
"The message that was sent, when you see (German Chancellor Angela) Merkel, when you see (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu, when you see the other leaders of the NATO countries — and America to not be there, for America's leader to not be there standing up and sending the clear message that Western values are going to be defended, Western values that the world needs to be strong about.
"For him not to have been there was a huge mistake," Perry said. "Not only politically, it was a huge mistake from the standpoint of sending a message to those in the Islamic terrorist world that we are going to stand together, we are going to defeat you and the Western values that the world needs are going to be continued to be supported and defended."