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Texas governor wants more drones to guard the US–Mexico border

Texas governor wants more drones to guard the US–Mexico border

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Perry expresses concern that ISIS could come in through Mexico

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US Air Force photo / Airman 1st Class Jonathan Snyder

Texas Governor Rick Perry wants more drones over the US–Mexico border in order to catch undocumented immigrants and potentially even terrorists trying to make their way into the US, according to Bloomberg. At an event in New Hampshire today — the home of killed journalist James Foley — Perry said that there could be members of ISIS who have made it in to the US. "We don’t know," Perry says. "They may have used our southern border, because it’s porous."

"The border is not secure."

To prevent something like that from happening — or, at the very least, to crack down on issues of undocumented immigration — Perry reportedly said that the US needs more troops and military-style drones guarding the border. US Customs and Border Protection has been using drones along the border for close to a decade now, but Bloomberg reports that Perry still sees it as far too open. "The border is not secure," he says. Obama has been ramping up detentions and deportations in response to Republican concerns over border security as well.

Perry is reported to be considering a presidential campaign in 2016, and he's currently on a tour that's thought to be in support of that. Statements like this one today about drones might help with his base, but Perry may have some larger issues to contend with. He was recently indicted on two felony counts for abuse of power, though he intends to fight the charges and believes he will be successful.