(June 2, 2006)—As U.S. House and Senate conferees try to hammer out a compromise immigration reform measure, Rep. John Carter, R-Georgetown will join other House members on the tour of the border Friday in El Paso.

“This tour will allow members to see firsthand the challenges at the border and learn more about the practical implementation of having National Guard members patrolling the border,” Carter’s office said.

The tour comes a day after Gov. Rick Perry announced a plan to place surveillance video cameras on private ranches along the Texas-Mexico border to combat illegal immigration in known hot spots for crossings.

Perry compared the effort to a neighborhood watch program.

He said the Texas Department of Public Safety would have access to the cameras.

He gave no details on how many cameras would be placed in rural border areas or how far apart they would be positioned.

He estimated the cost at $5 million.

The governor said he'll allocate $20 million in this two-year budget cycle to continue Operation Rio Grande, an ongoing border security plan.

That money will pay for officer overtime and equipment such as body armor, four-wheel drive vehicles and night-vision goggles.

Perry said he'll ask the Texas Legislature next year to authorize $100 million to continue the operation.

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