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Local Official Contradicts Rick Perry’s Claim That Obama Admin Is Dropping Illegals In Texas

Texas governor Rick Perry is getting lots of attention for calling Obama a socialist in a speech to a crowd of Tea Partiers the other day.

But Perry made another, equally lurid charge — he said that the Obama administration is using Texas as a dumping ground for undocumented immigrants — and now a local official we contacted there is contradicting Perry’s claim.

Perry — mindful of what you need to say to whip up the Tea Party crowd these days — claimed that a local official in Presidio County, which is in Texas on the border with Mexico, had been told by the Feds, as Perry put it, to “get ready for an influx of illegal aliens who were captured illegally crossing the border.”

Perry said the administration was “punishing this state.”

But the Superintendent of Presidio Independent School District, Dennis McEntire, tells us that in fact, the illegals are being sent to the Mexico side of the border. McEntire tells our reporter Ryan Derousseau that the U.S. government is taking nearly 100 undocumented immigrants caught daily in Arizona to a bridge leading to the Mexican town of Ojinaga. They are not being deposited in Texas, he said.

Now, anti-illegal-immigrant types will argue that this is still a threat to Texas because they’re being dropped right near the border. But the local official (who doesn’t support the initiative) tells us that the undocumented workers are sent to a shelter in the Mexican town and that the Mexican government has agreed to pay bus fare to ship them back to their home towns.

Bottom line: The most lurid aspect of Perry’s claim — that the U.S. government is using Texas as a dumping ground for illegals — appears to be untrue.

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Posted by Greg Sargent | 11/12/2009, 11:03 AM EST | Categories: Republican Party, immigration

29 Responses

  1. Ethan | November 12th, 2009 at 11:07 am

    WHO CARES!

    Can we have a post about the biggest decision in Obama’s presidency please (Afghanistan).

  2. Tena | November 12th, 2009 at 11:10 am

    Actually Bush was dumping illegals in Texas – right into the concentration camp in the middle of the state.

    If Perry wins campaigning like this, there’s no way he can opt in to national health care reform. I just don’t see how he can.

  3. lmsinca | November 12th, 2009 at 11:11 am

    Gov. “why let facts get in the way” Perry must be channeling his famous supporter Palin. Wonder if anyone in the MSM will report this accurately, Politico didn’t bother to.

    Can you link the quote from the Superintendent of Schools Greg?

  4. Greg Sargent | November 12th, 2009 at 11:11 am

    Ethan, there are four links in the roundup to Afghanistan stories!

  5. rukidding | November 12th, 2009 at 11:16 am

    @Tena…you are the Texan and know far better than I…but there is one hope…perhaps Governor Goodhair is just another conniving politician doing and saying whatever it takes to get elected. When it gets down to it and money/benefits are on the line won’t he cave? I’m thinking of all the big mouth Guvs who said they wouldn’t take the stimulus money and then pullled a Jindal. Remember Bobby…I will not accept the stimulus money…and then months after ACCEPTING the stimulus actually posed for photo ops as he passed out the large made for pics checks. Isn’t Gov Sessionist Goodhair just as hypocritical as Jindal?

  6. Tena | November 12th, 2009 at 11:16 am

    “Gov. “why let facts get in the way” Perry must be channeling his famous supporter Palin. ” He is.

    He has been. I am not sure Perry is even as bright (haha) as Palin.

  7. Greg Sargent | November 12th, 2009 at 11:16 am

    lmsinca, what do you mean? our reporter got the quote himself

  8. Tena | November 12th, 2009 at 11:16 am

    I gotta go -

    Be nice to each other, moonbats, but kick the trolls for me.

  9. rukidding | November 12th, 2009 at 11:19 am

    Sorry for the mispelling secessionist..poor Sister Agneta must be rolling over in her grave. :-)

  10. Benton | November 12th, 2009 at 11:19 am

    Oops — there’s more of that pesky old “truth” stuff again, always getting in the way of the Teabaggers’ fraudulent verbal flatulence.

    Truth remains the antidote to evil. Truth is to Teabaggers what kryptonite is to Superman. In its presence, these cowardly liars shrivel and scatter like cockroaches in the morning sunshine.

  11. Ethan | November 12th, 2009 at 11:20 am

    “Ethan, there are four links in the roundup to Afghanistan stories!”

    But none with your crackling analysis and sharp wit! :)

    Btw, speaking of issues that don’t get coverage, how about a little investigative follow-up of Rachel Maddow’s story on C-Street Dems?

    Or her story on The Most Dangerous Man in America: Pete Hoekestra, intel leaker extraordinaire?

    Maybe it’s just me, but I would LOVE to see some serious in-depth coverage of both of those topics.

  12. Bilgeman | November 12th, 2009 at 11:20 am

    Mr. Sargent:
    “Now, anti-illegal-immigrant types will argue that this is still a threat to Texas because they’re being dropped right near the border.”

    Just out of curiosity, would you happen to be a pro-illegal immigrant type?

    Your choice of terminology is a little peculiar here.

  13. lmsinca | November 12th, 2009 at 11:27 am

    Greg, no big deal, I just wondered if it was more than just a verbal quote. Don’t you think it is important that the Politico piece didn’t bother fact checking Perry’s claims?

  14. Greg Sargent | November 12th, 2009 at 11:33 am

    Bilgeman, I would have thought you’d like that phrasing. At least I played along with the idea that these guys are only against illegal immigration, rather than against immigration in general.

  15. lmsinca | November 12th, 2009 at 11:34 am

    Here’s more on the dumping story from Think Progress with lots of links. :)

    “There’s no evidence that the Obama administration is out to “punish” Texas. In his Midland speech, Perry complained “that the federal government plans to dump illegal aliens arrested in California and Arizona along the border” and in the Travis County address, he added that it refuses to give him funding for 1,000 more border patrol agents. But as the Texas Tribune noted, Perry could authorize state money for that purpose at any time.”

    http://thinkprogress.org/2009/11/12/rick-perry-conspiracy/

  16. lmsinca | November 12th, 2009 at 11:40 am

    Brian Ross of ABC gets a little loose with the “facts” yesterday. Worth the read. Regarding the Fort Hood shooter and emails that the FBI had already investigated. Ross characterizes them in a very sinister light.

    “But without knowing what the e-mails are about, can it really be known that Hasan’s communications were “attempts to reach out”? The FBI didn’t consider them as such. Ross didn’t know the contents of the e-mails when he described them that way, but felt perfectly justified in doing so based solely on the knowledge that Hasan had sent the e-mails.

    We asked Ross if he had tried to contact Al-Awlaki in reporting the story:

    “Yes.”

    So you reached out to al Qaeda, then?

    “To al Qaeda? No. I reached out to him. Oh. I see what you’re saying.”

    http://crooksandliars.com/susie-madrak/abcs-brian-ross-cooks-dangerously-ina

  17. lmsinca | November 12th, 2009 at 11:41 am

    Have a good day all!

  18. Greg Sargent | November 12th, 2009 at 11:50 am

    Ethan — trying to figure out how to do a Hoekstra story

  19. Andy | November 12th, 2009 at 11:57 am

    “ACORN is suing the U.S. government over a law passed recently by Congress that bars the controversial community group from receiving federal money.

    In a complaint filed this morning in U.S. District Court in New York, ACORN charges that the law is unconstitutional, because it’s a bill of attainder — that is, it targets a specific individual or group for punishment.”

    Hmm.. “bill of attainder” where have I heard that term before?

  20. Bilgeman | November 12th, 2009 at 11:59 am

    Mr. Sargent:
    “I would have thought you’d like that phrasing. At least I played along with the idea that these guys are only against illegal immigration, rather than against immigration in general.”

    Not having seen Guv’nah Perry’s address, I can’t say for certain, but being an “anti-illegal immigration type” would be more accurately described as a “law-abiding citizen”.

    As for being against LEGAL immigration, I can say that with the O-conomy at just north of 10% unemployment, perhaps we shouldn’t be so magnanimous with the H1-B visa programs.

    That’s not being anti-immigration either, it’s just being uhhh…SANE.

    Let Tena clean BOTH of her own houses.

  21. Ethan | November 12th, 2009 at 12:00 pm

    Cool, thx. The man is a loose cannon.

    Don’t forget to work in: http://hoekstraisameme.com/

    To Hoekstra is to whine using grandiose exaggerations and comparisons.

    It all started with a simple, foolish tweet. On June 17th, GOP Congressman Pete Hoekstra compared the life and death struggle of Iranians trying to get their message out via Twitter to the Republican Party’s tussle with Democrats. (See quote above.) The Twitterati began satirizing Hoekstra’s tweet (see lulz below).

    And that’s how the Hoekstra meme was born.

  22. lmsinca | November 12th, 2009 at 12:01 pm

    Ethan, I don’t know if you caught this this morning, it details some of the contention between McChrystal and Eikenberry with lots of links.

    http://firedoglake.com/2009/11/12/mcchrystal-reported-%e2%80%9cfuming%e2%80%9d-over-eikenberrys-afghanistan-warnings/

  23. lmsinca | November 12th, 2009 at 12:05 pm

    Hasan to be charged with 13 counts of murder in military court. Could face death. Now I really need to get to work.

    http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33886322/ns/us_news-tragedy_at_fort_hood

  24. Liam | November 12th, 2009 at 12:08 pm

    Bilgey likes to call people “moonbats’, but he is the one who “pals around” with the real ones.

    All the “Moonbats” are with the far right wingers.

    The Washington Times is owned by the Cult Leader; Rev. Moon.

    Tony Blankley used to run that Far Right Wing Rag for cult leader Moon, and Monica Crowley currently works for that same rag.

    The Far Right Wingers are real “Moonbats”, literally!

  25. quarterback | November 12th, 2009 at 12:25 pm

    LOL Good luck with that bill of attainder lawsuit, Acorn. Whatever lawyers signed that piece of garbage should be disbarred, and I can say that without even looking at the piece of garbage.

  26. Lola | November 12th, 2009 at 12:38 pm

    Rick Perry is my governor. He is a vile governor, but I may vote for him in the primary because Kay Bailey Hutchison is moving so far to the right I don’t want her to win either. I figure Perry, who is unpopular with everyone but wingers is the best candidate for a Democrat to take on. I am not at all surprised that Perry is a liar.

  27. dave | November 12th, 2009 at 01:15 pm

    yes Mr.Sargent what about C street? why are they influencing US policy? they seem to be a very insidious and dangerous group

  28. avahome | November 12th, 2009 at 05:01 pm

    A blogger with his finger on the continuing issues here in TX: http://xicanopwr.com/

    Anything Gov. Perry says needs to be taken with a grain of salt….he’s a goober!

  29. Texas Aggie | November 13th, 2009 at 12:41 am

    You don’t understand the ol’ boy mentality. Texas extends down to somewhere near Veracruz. That means that these guys are still being dumped in Texas. You know like, what’s the Iraqi’s sand doing on our oil? Same thing here. What are the Mexicans doing on our property?

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