Texas Gov. Rick Perry attacked President Barack Obama during an appearance on Fox News about the wave of illegal immigrants entering the country.
The Texas border has been deluged with illegal immigrant children, with estimates that 60,000 will cross into the United States this year. Many are unaccompanied minors from Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador.
"This president, I will suggest, is totally and absolutely either inept or making some decisions that are not in the best interest of American citizens, particularly from a public safety standpoint," Perry, a Republican, told "Fox & Friends" on Tuesday.
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Perry said the Texas Rangers, military personnel, and local law enforcement in his state were "overwhelmed" trying to address the number of children crossing the border.
Officials in Texas had "flagged this issue in 2012," Perry said, though no response had come from Obama or his administration. In addition to illegal immigrant children, he said people from Syria with connections to "terrorist regimes" were taking advantage of the situation.
"It is a huge problem and a great concern to the citizens. I think, whether you're Democrat or Republican, you need to be addressing this," Perry said.
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