Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) on Sunday did not back down from his suggestion in June that President Obama may have been part of a conspiracy to let migrants from Central America enter the U.S. illegally.
“I have to believe that when you do not respond in any way, that you are either inept, or you have some ulterior motive of which you are functioning from,” Perry said on ABC’s “This Week” when host Martha Raddatz asked him if he really believes there is a “conspiracy to get people into the United States by the federal government.”
Perry made the initial claim in June during an interview with Fox News.
“We either have an incredibly inept administration, or they’re in on this somehow or another. I mean I hate to be conspiratorial, but I mean how do you move that many people from Central America across Mexico and then into the United States without there being a fairly coordinated effort?” he asked.
On Sunday, Perry said that Obama needs “boots on the ground” at the border.
“What has to be addressed is the security of the border. You know that. I know that. The president of the United States knows that. I don’t believe he particularly cares whether or not the border of the United States is — is secure,” Perry said. “Unless we secure our southern border, this is going to continue to be a massive amount of individuals that are coming to the United States.”
This post has been updated.
