Joining Lou Dobbs earlier this week, Former Texas Governor Rick Perry was asked to explain his stance on illegal immigration and border security.
“I think we need to flesh everyone out from the stand point of of just the rhetoric. When somebody says, “let’s build a wall,” then I think it’s appropriate to say, it’s good to have this conversation, it’s good that we are having this conversation that now for thirty years, this border has not been secured. We’ve known it’s been a problem,” said Perry.
Dobbs interjected that he doesn’t believe a single candidate talking about immigration issues because, “we’ve heard it all before.”
“Good for you!” responded Perry.
“The fact is, until the media really digs in on this issue and says explains to me exactly what you’re talking about when it comes to securing the border, because everything goes back to that. Whether it’s this issue about these people on welfare, whether it’s the cost to states when it comes to the schools… You know all of the cost of this border that’s not secure has been mounting up and costing billions and billions of dollars. So the issue all goes back to securing the border. If you secure the border, this whole conversation about the 14th amendment, those go away.”We know how to secure the border, Lou. The issue is, we have not had the will in the White House to do that and we haven’t had the will in Congress. Washington is completely corrupt when it comes to this issue.”
Dobbs asked Perry what he would do to secure the border.
“Let’s talk about reality. It’s 1,933 miles from Tijuana right there by San Diego all the way to El Paso, and El Paso to Brownsville. So you must understand really understand the size and the scope of this to really get your hands around it.Then you must believe that man power and boots on the ground are the real key issue here. Whether you build a that’s 20 feet high and 1,933 miles long, and you ask the question how long’s that going to take to build and what’s that going to cost, but there’s a better way, I will suggest to you and it’s having the personnel in the right places, the boots on the ground in the right places. It is the strategic fencing and the type of wall, if that’s what you want to call it, in the metropolitans and the aviation assets, Lou. If you don’t have the aviation assets looking down 24/7, making the analysis of what’s going on along that border, both side, identifying where the problems are and quick response teams to interdict, that’s when you secure the border.“
Perry and Dobbs also discussed a key component missing from the border security discussion — our relationship with Mexico. Holding Mexico responsible, assessing the foreign aid they receive, and considering our trade partnerships are all crucial parts of any strategy to secure the border.
Perry explained working with Mexico to secure their Southern border should be part of a comprehensive strategy as well.
“I will suggest to you that we can also be of assistance on the Southern border with Mexico because that’s where a lot of these challenges come from. Last summer, it was Central American kids that were coming up here, showing up here. It wasn’t Mexican citizens.”
Follow Kemberlee Kaye on Twitter @kemberleekaye
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