Perry wants 1,000 more troops on border

EL PASO, Texas (AP) - Gov. Rick Perry said Tuesday he has asked Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano to send resources and "1,000 more troops" to the border in Texas as violence continues to mount in northern Mexico.

"I've been in direct contact with Secretary Napolitano ... and I've asked her for a substantial amount of technology, in the form of aviation assets as well as 1,000 more troops that we can commit to different parts of the border," Perry told reporters after meeting with state, local, and federal authorities at the Chamizal National Monument, just across the Rio Grande from Ciudad Juarez.

When asked to clarify if he was referring to law enforcement or military resources, Perry said, "I really don't care. As along as they are boots on the ground that are properly trained to deal with the border region, I don't care whether they are military troops, or National Guard troops or whether they are customs agents."

Perry, who has repeatedly said the federal government has not done its part to the secure the border, also said Tuesday he hoped to get widespread support from the Texas Legislature for a $135 million request for state-led security efforts.

State homeland security chief Steve McCraw said state efforts, combined with those from the federal government, would focus on violent Mexican drug cartel activities in Texas, including smuggling drugs north and guns and massive amounts of cash south.

Cameron County Judge Carlos H. Cascos said he was unaware of Perry's request, but has consistently said that it was just a "matter of time" before the violence along the border spilled into South Texas and Cameron County.

"I'm sure it's a precautionary measure," Cascos said on Tuesday. Although the county judge said he did not know where the troops would be deployed, he would work with local law enforcement to determine if additional manpower is needed along the border area in Cameron County and see if some of the troops can be deployed here.

Nearly 1,900 people have been killed in Juarez in the ongoing drug cartel war since January 2008. As Perry, McCraw and former drug czar and retired Army General Barry McCaffrey spoke to reporters, several El Paso police officers stood guard in the sprawling border park, with assault rifles slung over their shoulders.