McALLEN, Texas (AP) – Texas Gov. Rick Perry, a vocal critic of the White House’s response to the surge of children and families entering the U.S. illegally, plans to deploy as many as 1,000 National Guard troops to the Mexico border, a local lawmaker confirmed Monday.
Perry, who has not said whether he will seek the Republican nomination for president in 2016, spent the weekend talking to voters in Iowa, where he questioned President Barack Obama’s commitment to securing the border and said Texas would do so if the federal government did not.
On 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 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.