Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst proposes $60 million border-enforcement effort
Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst announced Wednesday that state leaders are looking to fund a $60 million a year permanent surge along the Texas-Mexico Border to try to shut down the continuing smuggling and crimes by drug cartels.
Such a step to ramp up what have been periodic enforcement initiatives would be unprecedented, massing additional state police personnel, aircraft, boats and other resources along the Rio Grande River on a continuing basis.
Steve McCraw, director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, said the permanent surge would not include use of the controversial regulatory checkpoints, which have drawn intense criticism in border areas for allegedly violating constitutional search-and-seizure protections an assertion that state officials have denied.
Dewhurst said the additional funding would have to be approved by the Legislative Budget Board, and would have to come from current appropriations in the states two-year, $190 billion budget. No details on where the funding might be drawn from were provided.
More at http://www.statesman.com/news/news/dewhurst-push-on-to-find-60-million-for-permanent-/ncBmJ/ .