By Shelley Kofler, KERA News
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kera/local-kera-860936.mp3
Irving, TX – Gubernatorial candidates Rick Perry and Kay Bailey Hutchison are trading charges on the issue of border security. Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani accompanied Perry to Irving yesterday to highlight Perry's efforts, while Hutchison's campaign blasted Perry in press releases. KERA's Shelley Kofler reports.
Last year Irving police received a quarter of a million state dollars that paid for increased surveillance of suspected gang members, some with ties to gangs in Mexico. Irving Police say the intelligence gathering lead to a surge in gang-related arrests and a drop in violent crime.
Wednesday, flanked by former crime fighting Mayor Rudy Giuliani and members of the Irving gang unit, Governor Rick Perry said he'll continue to support the funding of local, anti-gang efforts. Perry highlighted the legislature's approval this year of more than $110 million for border security as evidence of his administration's commitment.
Perry: We owe that to the peace loving freedom loving Americans who are counting on us to get this right.
From Washington, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison's campaign has portrayed Perry's border efforts as failures. Last week her campaign said Perry was grandstanding when he announced he's sending Texas Rangers to the border to deal with gang and drug violence spilling into our state.
Perry says he's only doing what Washington - and Congressional lawmakers like Hutchison - should be doing. He said his request for Homeland Security to send a thousand national guards to the border is still wrapped up in red tape.
Perry: It doesn't appear to be a problem to spend money in Washington DC. I don't know why they cannot find the money to fund 1,000 troops to help secure and defend Texans from those drug cartels.
Another Hutchison press release slammed Perry as wasteful for giving sheriffs two million dollars to install a virtual wall of web cameras that would watch the border. Hutchison cites reports that say the project has installed few cameras and has netted just 11 arrests.
Perry defends the cameras as useful tools.
Perry: Neighborhood Watch works, and this is a form of that. We have cameras up and down the border and I think they have their appropriate role.
Hutchison is touting her votes in favor of constructing the controversial border fence. Perry has called the fence ineffective.
With more 1,000 murdered so far this year in Juarez next door to El Paso, border violence and who can contain it is bound to be a hot issue in this Governor's race.