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Texas Agriculture Archive

March 3, 2006

Gov. Perry launches
new border operation

Gov. Rick Perry recently launched "Operation Rio Grande," a state-led initiative to address escalating violence, increase border security and ensure Texans' safety.

The operation brings together a variety of state resources to better secure the Texas-Mexico border from Brownsville to El Paso.

"There is not only great concern that the drug trade is becoming more aggressive, but that terrorist organizations are seeking to exploit our porous border," Perry said. "Last year alone, 135,000 people who are not of Mexican descent were apprehended entering Texas illegally. The threat is real, and it grows each day."

And it is a threat that is well recognized among Texas Farm Bureau members.

"The violence, drug-trafficking and criminal activity along the border demands and deserves the attention and efforts of all levels of government," said TFB President Kenneth Dierschke in a recent letter thanking the governor for his support of rural farm families in potecting our borders.

"Protecting our citizens along the border must be a priority," he added. "Unfortunately, the reports of violence along the border are affirmed through stories of destruction and abuse levied upon ranchers and their properties across the interior of South Texas."

Recent events along the border indicate that violence and criminal activity have escalated. They include the apprehension of four Iraqis headed to U.S. soil by Mexican officials, the discovery of a criminal organization's weapons stockpile in Laredo that included improvised explosive devices and fragmentation hand grenades, and the recent chase of narco-terrorists involving local deputies and Department of Public Safety officers in Hudspeth County.

"With `Operation Rio Grande', the state will take the lead role in coordinating state and local efforts to detect, track and deter criminal activity along the border," Perry said. "I am taking these actions to make Texas safer and more secure. Using intelligence, available state assets, and a new command and control structure, we are going to take back our border from those who exploit it."

In early February, Perry activated the Governor's Emergency Management Council and placed the Texas Fusion Center on the highest alert level under the supervision of Texas Homeland Security Director Steve McCraw.

"There is a historic relationship between Texas agriculture producers and citizens from Mexico seeking to improve conditions for their families," Dierschke said. "Together, these two groups have worked through the seasonal demands of agriculture to provide the citizens of Texas with an abundance of food and fiber.

"The criminal element look at our borders as portals through which to cross and cause harm, then retreat back across for safety," he said. "Not only are Texans harmed, but so is the economic opportunity of hard-working Mexican citizens and the Texas economy as a whole."

The State Operations Center will serve as a central point of coordination for state, local and federal officials, as well as a single hub for incident reporting and intelligence support for law enforcement agencies up to 100 miles away from the Rio Grande River.

Perry's action represents the first time the State Operations Center has been activated to coordinate a law enforcement operation.

As part of "Operation Rio Grande," Perry has also ordered deployment of:

•A DPS rapid response team of state troopers dispatched to troubled areas;

•DPS narcotics, motor vehicle theft and criminal intelligence investigators to conduct covert patrols and surveillance activities;

•DPS fixed and rotary aviation assets to support Operation Linebacker patrols;

•A DPS SWAT Team and the development of regionalized, enhanced SWAT teams with rapid response capabilities;

•A border-wide investigation of alleged incursions by the Mexican military, conducted by the Texas Rangers;

•Other state assets, including Texas Department of Criminal Justice canine search teams, Texas Parks and Wildlife game wardens, and Texas Department of Transportation road barriers.

"While enforcing our border remains the responsibility of the federal government, the consequences of an action are felt right here at home in Texas," Perry said. "The state will not wait for Washington to take all the necessary actions."

Although Perry emphasized that border threats are best addressed by law enforcement, Texas Army National Guard planners and analysts will also provide support to operation.

"Operation Rio Grande" builds upon Operation Linebacker, an initiative developed by the 16-member Texas Border Sheriff's Coalition to deter border-related criminal activities through increased manpower and equipment.

Perry provided nearly $10 million to Operation Linebacker since December.

"Undoubtedly, the $10 million in state funding provided to the Border Sheriff's program is much needed and will be money well spent," Dierschke wrote.

"Texas Farm Bureau looks forward to working with you and state leaders to address this issue and others facing our industry and this great state. Regardless of the federal government's actions, it is encouraging to see Texans do what we have always done best—take care of Texas."

Perry was joined at the news conference by Zapata County Sheriff Sigi Gonzales, who heads the Texas Border Sheriffs' Coalition, as well as representatives of the Combined law Enforcement Association of Texas.