NBC 5 is partnering with The Dallas Morning News, KERA and Telemundo 39 to produce in-depth reports about the race for Texas governor. We asked our viewers, readers and listeners to vote on the topics most important to them. For five days, we will report in-depth on each of those topics: education, immigration, health care, economy and infrastructure.
The second report is on immigration. Click here to see our report on Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott
State Sen. Wendy Davis said she supports much of what Governor Rick Perry during this summer's border crisis, but she said as governor she would have listened better to the needs of the local communities near the border, like McAllen.
"They've asked for deputies with arrest and detention authority. And that's not what they were sent," Davis said in an interview with NBC 5.
The mayor of McAllen said by the end of this year, he'll have spent $500 million of taxpayer money to fund the humanitarian relief effort that accompanied the influx of undocumented immigrants.
Wendy Davis said as governor she'll fight to make sure every penny is reimbursed by President Barack Obama.
"This is the federal government's responsibility. And the federal government should be expected to foot the bill," she said.
Davis said as governor, she would have called a special session to call back legislators and force them to debate a long-term solution.
"I asked Governor Perry to convene a special session for a special session for that very purpose. They've asked for deputies with arrest and detention authority. And that's not what they were sent," she said.
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Still, she believes Governor Perry did a lot of things right in handling the surge of tens of thousands of immigrant children and families crossing the border.
"I supported the surge of DPS troops to the border. Those are the right boots on the ground, they have detention and arrest authority," she said.
It's a move that costs Texas taxpayers more than a million dollars every week, but Davis said as governor she'd fight Congress relentlessly to get that money back.
"At the end of the day the federal government needs to foot the bill. Not the local communities should foot the bill. And so it is my continued hope that President Obama will focus his attention on making sure that happens," she said.
Davis said she hopes President Obama finds the time to visit the border himself. But she said getting him to tour the border isn't a priority.
"I believe that any person with the responsibility to keep our border secure ought to be in those communities, talking to local law enforcement officials," she said.
As governor, Davis said she'd fight to get Washington to hire more federal immigration judges to speed up the detention and deportation processes.
And she supports finding additional funding to hire local police officers along the border, not just National Guard troops.
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