Agricultural leaders from eight states far from the U.S.-Mexico border are to join the Texas agriculture commissioner on a border security tour of the Rio Grande Valley.
Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples campaigned mightily on border security in his unsuccessful bid for the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor. He returns to the issue Wednesday hoping to enlist the support of states ranging from Maine to Mississippi in that campaign. Staples says increased awareness could rally support elsewhere for border security and immigration reform.
The agriculture leaders are scheduled for a briefing by the U.S. Border Patrol, a tour an international port-of-entry and a cruise of the Rio Grande on a Texas Department of Public Safety gunboat.
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