Twisted
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- Sep 11, 2015
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Deterrence a goal and challenge at Texas border
MISSION, Texas (AP) — Three heavily armed Texas patrol boats rounded a bend in the Rio Grande on a recent afternoon and came upon two young men paddling an inflatable raft full-speed ahead toward the Mexican shore. The state troopers and game wardens bobbed helplessly in their boats as the men passed their raft and paddles up the bank to others, and a crew of troopers peeked through the tall reeds on the U.S. side for whatever load had just been deposited.
It illustrated the limitations U.S. agencies face in deterring smugglers at the Texas border in the face of Gov. Rick Perry's recent announcement to send as many as 1,000 National Guard troops down.
Combined, the two gunboats from the state's Department of Public Safety and one from the Parks and Wildlife Department carried 2,400 horsepower and 15 .30-caliber machine guns — indisputably the most advanced craft on the Rio Grande.
MISSION, Texas (AP) — Three heavily armed Texas patrol boats rounded a bend in the Rio Grande on a recent afternoon and came upon two young men paddling an inflatable raft full-speed ahead toward the Mexican shore. The state troopers and game wardens bobbed helplessly in their boats as the men passed their raft and paddles up the bank to others, and a crew of troopers peeked through the tall reeds on the U.S. side for whatever load had just been deposited.
It illustrated the limitations U.S. agencies face in deterring smugglers at the Texas border in the face of Gov. Rick Perry's recent announcement to send as many as 1,000 National Guard troops down.
Combined, the two gunboats from the state's Department of Public Safety and one from the Parks and Wildlife Department carried 2,400 horsepower and 15 .30-caliber machine guns — indisputably the most advanced craft on the Rio Grande.
