Saying that President Barack Obama waited "about five years too late" to worry about border security, Texas Gov. Rick Perry is calling for "boots on the ground" and drones to patrol the U.S.-Mexican border.
Perry testified last week at a congressional field hearing in South Texas that he wants to see National Guard units sent to the border while more border patrol agents are trained.
This past year has seen an upswing in illegal immigrants from Central America crossing the border, mostly children and mothers. Perry and other Republicans blame the rise on Obama for what they say is an unspoken policy that implies they will not be sent back.
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Perry told ABC's "This Week" on Sunday that he has been urging the Obama administration to take action since 2010, and handed him a letter in May 2012 laying out what was happening with the unaccompanied minors.
What he warned Obama then is coming to fruition today, Perry said.
"This is a failure of diplomacy. It is a failure of leadership from the administration in Washington, D.C.," he said.
Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Gil Kerlikowske told ABC that those crossing from Central America are not dangerous and that the agency has enough resources to handle to issue.
"He is absolutely and totally wrong," Perry responded, saying that there are only 15 border patrol agents per mile from El Paso to California, and that in Texas, the number is seven per mile."
Obama's lack of response, Perry said, shows Obama's administration is "either inept or you have some ulterior motive of which you are functioning from."
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