Krusee Stands With Perry Against Illegal Immigration

Representative Mike Krusee reiterated his stance against illegal immigration today, pledging to stand with Governor Perry and support his agenda to ensure border security.

"I fully support the Governor's border security initiative, and I plan to work with my colleagues in the House to co-sponsor legislation to make our border more secure," Krusee said.

The Governor's border security plan views the 1200-mile Texas-Mexico border as the front line in the war on terror.  At the Governor's direction, Texas has taken decisive action to protect the border and the American homeland.

The Texas strategy is to employ an aggressive defense.  The strategy was designed using empirical evidence and the expertise of law enforcement personnel serving at various levels of government.  There are four key areas of focus:  increasing patrols and law enforcement presence; centralizing command, control and intelligence operations; increasing state funding and deployment of state resources for border security; and making better use of technology to fight border crime.  By focusing on these areas, Texas has been able to swiftly mount an aggressive defense without waiting for federal involvement.

Because securing the border is a federal responsibility, major reforms are needed at the federal level.  Recent initiatives, such as congressional funding for additional border patrol agents and detention space, are positive but inadequate steps.  Governor Perry continues to encourage congress to: 

                            Hire many more border patrol agents;

                            Expand the use of technology at, and between, ports of entry;

                            Authorize homeland security funding to pay for law enforcement positions and overtime to expand patrols;

                            Designate the entire Texas border region a high-threat area so border communities have the

                                                    same eligibility for homeland security funds as large urban areas;

                            Significantly expand detention facilities and end the federal "catch and release" policy for illegal

                                                    immigrants from countries other than Mexico.

The Governor will also ask the Texas legislature to expand state law enforcement's wiretap authority beyond drug-related and murder cases.  Currently state officers are not allowed to seek judicial permission for wiretaps related to serious crimes such as kidnapping, extortion, and aggravated sexual assault.  With the recent increase of drug-related kidnappings along the Texas-Mexico border, expanded wiretap authority could prove instrumental in solving these crimes.  This proposed reform would give state authorities the same crime-fighting tools as their federal counterparts.