Published: February 1, 2016 12:42 pm
Tom Benning

AUSTIN – Gov. Greg Abbott has teamed with a Democratic congressman to chide the Obama administration over apparent cuts the feds are requesting in aerial surveillance operations along the Texas-Mexico border.

Abbott, a Republican, and U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar of Laredo wrote to U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson on Monday to ask why the agency asked for a drop in hours dedicated to aerial observation as part of a key border security operation.

That came after Abbott wrote in September to Johnson to request additional border resources, including aerostats.

“The fact that DHS now appear to be taking the opposite approach is unsettling,” Abbott and Cuellar wrote on Monday. “Any decrease in aerial observation is not only imprudent, but contradicts the very mission of border security enforcement.”

A DHS spokesman didn’t have an immediate comment.

The letter pairs Abbott with a Texas Democrat, albeit a conservative one who’s been known to buck his party. Many Democrats remain critical of the state’s approach to border security, in particular the huge sums of money now devoted to it.

Like Abbott’s letter from the fall — which he says wasn’t answered — the latest missive focuses on the recent surge of migrants. And it doesn’t hesitate to tout Texas’ border security investment – nearly $1.7 billion in state funds since 2005.

Specifically, Abbott and Cuellar want to know what metrics were used to support the requested decrease in aerial operations; details on how the plans will impact staffing and resources along the border; and how the feds might back-fill any gaps.

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