03:52 PM CDT on Friday, June 2, 2006

Associated Press

Gov. Rick Perry announced Thursday a plan to place surveillance video cameras on private ranches along the Texas-Mexico border to combat illegal immigration in places that are known hot spots for illegal crossings.

Perry compared the effort to a neighborhood watch program and 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.

Once again, Perry had harsh words for the federal government and said Texas won't wait to try to secure its border.

"Just like we didn't turn our backs on the people of Louisiana,...," he said, referring to Texas' help after Hurricane Katrina,

"we're not going to turn our backs on the people of the Texas border, either."