Two Republican governors plan to send manpower to the Texas border with Mexico. Neither border Texas.
Last week Florida's Ron DeSantis said he would send law enforcement. And now Nebraska's Pete Rickets says he plans to send two dozen state troopers to the Texas border.
Both have been critical of president Biden's approach to border security.
Tony Payan, director of the Center for United States and Mexico at Rice calls them, along with governor Abbott, "three of the most radical governors in the United States. "They don't agree with president Biden's policies so I think they are playing politics. If you think about the number of troopers and the kind of aid they can give Texas to protect the border, it is really just a drop in the desert sand. It means absolutely nothing. There's very little they can do."
He says this is mostly symbolic to counter the narrative that president Biden is trying to establish regarding the border.
All three Republicans are up for re-election next year.
Payan says President Biden made a couple of mistakes in the beginning of his administration regarding the border. He ended the MPP, the migration protection protocol and ceased the deportation of unaccompanied minors back into Mexico. "Sending the wrong message. That was obviously a mistake, it wasn't handled very well in terms of the messaging, not just within the United States but also towards Mexico and Central America." He says the administration is trying to fix that and the numbers are easing down. "The right message and the right programs are being put in place with Central America and Mexico. It is going to take awhile. The border is a very complicated place but I don't think that sending 16 troopers or a million dollars or an additional vehicle is going to make a difference."
Related
