Despite the $800 million border security package lawmakers approved last year and the 2014 border “surge” initiative ordered by former Gov. Rick Perry, none of the 14 Texas counties on the U.S.-Mexico border would be considered under “substantial control,” the highest level in a proposed border security rating system by the Texas Department of Public Safety, agency Director Steve McCraw said Tuesday.
Only the Rio Grande Valley counties of Hidalgo and Starr would be considered under “operational control,” the second-highest level in the system, and the rest would fall under “minimal control” or “unsecured,” McCraw said after unveiling the system at a Texas House Appropriations Committee hearing.
“Usually the rule is you just report seizure numbers, and as long as the seizure number comes up and arrests goes up, you ask for more money and you claim success,” McCraw said. “What we’re saying here is that we’re not claiming success until you move up to the next level.” – READ MORE
