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 "Are folks more interested in politics or are they more interested
in solving the problem," Obama said he told Perry. "If they are
interested in solving the problem then this can be solved. If the
preference is for politics then it won’t be solved."
Obama visited Texas for the first time since the influx of child
migrants from Central America overwhelmed border resources. He had
talks with Perry aboard his Marine One helicopter and in a group
meeting with local officials that Obama called constructive.
In a brief news conference after the meeting, Obama dismissed
criticism from Perry, a potential 2016 Republican presidential
candidate, that he should personally visit the border region for a
first-hand look.
"This isn’t theater. This is a problem. I’m not interested in photo
ops. I’m interested in solving a problem," he said.
The president, on a three-day trip out of Washington, is spending
much time raising money for Democratic congressional candidates,
leading to criticism that he should spend some time visiting the
border. Obama said he is getting plenty of information from top
advisers who are visiting the area.
"There’s nothing that is taking place down there that I am not
intimately aware of and briefed on," he said.
Obama is battling political pressure from supporters and opponents
alike to halt a growing humanitarian crisis along the Texas border
with Mexico.
His request for emergency funds on Tuesday was the most aggressive
step yet by his administration to take care of the children who have
come from Central America illegally while accelerating the process
to have them deported.
The money, however, must be approved by the Democrat-controlled
Senate and Republican-led House of Representatives. Republicans, who
have pressed the White House to do more to tackle the crisis, gave
the proposal a wary reception.
“The House is not going to just rubber-stamp what the administration
wants to do," said Representative Mario Diaz-Balart of Florida, who
is a member of Speaker John Boehner's border crisis task force.
Republican Representative Mick Mulvaney criticized the funding
request and suggested foreign aid should be docked to pay for it.
"I think it’s a charade. I think the president has set it up to make
it look as though the only reason he’s not enforcing the border is
because he doesn’t have the money. And that’s not accurate,"
Mulvaney said.
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Obama said he emphasized to Perry that he was largely in agreement
with the Republican's suggestion that more border patrol agents be
moved to the crisis zone. Perry quickly issued a statement after
the talks saying he demanded that Obama dispatch 1,000 National
Guard troops to the border.
“Securing the border is attainable, and the president needs to
commit the resources necessary to get this done," Perry said.
Obama said he would consider Perry's demand that National Guard
troops be deployed to the area.
"The bottom line actually is there is nothing the governor indicated
that he'd like to see that I have a philosophical objection to,"
Obama said.
The greater challenge, he said, is whether Congress is prepared to
approve his funding request. He urged Perry to appeal to the Texas
congressional delegation to seek passage of the $3.7 billion
package.
"These days in Washington everybody is always concerned about
everything falling victim to partisan politics," Obama said. "If I
sponsored a bill declaring apple pie American, it might fall
victim."
The child migrant crisis has made the debate over immigration reform
even more divisive. Without government action, the administration
projects more than 150,000 unaccompanied children under the age of
18 next year could be fleeing to the United States from poverty and
drug- and gang-related violence in Honduras, El Salvador and
Guatemala.
(Additional reporting by Susan Cornwell, Susan Heavey, and Richard
Cowan; Editing by Caren Bohan, Jonathan Oatis and Ken Wills)
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