White unveils border security plan

HOUSTON (AP) — Democratic candidate for governor Bill White said Thursday he would secure the U.S.-Mexico border by hiring 1,000 new local law enforcement officers and 250 state troopers.

His plan calls for the new positions to be paid for through federal grants, additional state money and forfeiture dollars from drug seizures.

White also promises to use state money more effectively, establish formal partnerships with local and federal law agencies and "revamp" the Texas Department of Public Safety.

The former Houston mayor added that he would help local law enforcement adopt a federal program called Secure Communities, which he used in Houston to identify criminal illegal immigrants and get them turned over to federal authorities.

White called Republican incumbent Gov. Rick Perry a failure on the issue over his 10 years in office.

Perry, picking up an endorsement from the Texas Medical Association political action committee in Austin, defended his record of using state resources to beef up law enforcement along the Texas-Mexico border.

"His campaign is very high on criticism and very light on new ideas," Perry said.