Obama to Send Troops to Mexican Border
WASHINGTON???President Barack Obama will send 1,200 National Guard troops to the Mexican border, an administration official said Tuesday, following calls from politicians in both parties to step up the fight against illegal immigration and border violence.
The White House will also request $500 million to help fund more law-enforcement activities at the border, the official said.
The moves come as the White House tries to garner support for an overhaul of U.S. immigration laws. Debate on the issue has become polarized following adoption of Arizona's new immigration law, which has been criticized by the administration.
The new initiative would allow for the deployment of as many as 1,200 National Guard troops to support border-patrol officers. The troops would not act in a law-enforcement capacity, but would provide intelligence, surveillance and training, while Customs and Border Patrol adds additional agents, a White House official said.
Troop deployment has long been a demand of Arizona politicians, including state attorney general Terry Goddard and Republican U.S. senators John Kyl and John McCain. The White House move was widely praised.
Sen. McCain said on the Senate floor that he appreciated the plan to send troops but that the numbers were "simply not enough." He reiterated his earlier calls for the deployment of as many as 6,000 troops to help secure the Mexican border.
Mr. Goddard, who wrote to President Obama last month urging the redeployment of National Guard troops to the border with the authority to "stop and turn back" illegal immigrants, applauded the measure.
"It indicates they're listening, finally. This shows a degree of national concern we hadn't seen and I am glad to see it," Mr. Goddard said.
Immigration experts said the troop announcement underscored the need for a comprehensive initiative, rather than ad-hoc measures.
"This proves that until we have comprehensive immigration policy, we'll subject the country to a series of band-aids, rather than a long-term solution," said Rick Nelson, a national-security analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C. He called the troop deployment "more posturing than an effective measure."
The troop deployment would fall short of the full gamut of steps called for by some critics, even as it antagonized immigrant-rights groups.
Jeff Sessions (R., Ala.), the ranking minority member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, called the troop deployment an "important step," but stressed the need for "vigorous worksite enforcement, full cooperation with state and local law enforcement officials, strong support for completion of the border fence, and all other necessary border measures."
"We are outraged," said Pablo Alvarado, director of the National Day Laborer Organizing Network, a Los Angeles-based immigrant advocacy group.
"Instead of addressing a domestic human rights crisis, the president appears to be caving into extremists who are further shattering an already broken immigration system," he said.
WASHINGTON???President Barack Obama will send 1,200 National Guard troops to the Mexican border, an administration official said Tuesday, following calls from politicians in both parties to step up the fight against illegal immigration and border violence.
The White House will also request $500 million to help fund more law-enforcement activities at the border, the official said.
The moves come as the White House tries to garner support for an overhaul of U.S. immigration laws. Debate on the issue has become polarized following adoption of Arizona's new immigration law, which has been criticized by the administration.
The new initiative would allow for the deployment of as many as 1,200 National Guard troops to support border-patrol officers. The troops would not act in a law-enforcement capacity, but would provide intelligence, surveillance and training, while Customs and Border Patrol adds additional agents, a White House official said.
Troop deployment has long been a demand of Arizona politicians, including state attorney general Terry Goddard and Republican U.S. senators John Kyl and John McCain. The White House move was widely praised.
Sen. McCain said on the Senate floor that he appreciated the plan to send troops but that the numbers were "simply not enough." He reiterated his earlier calls for the deployment of as many as 6,000 troops to help secure the Mexican border.
Mr. Goddard, who wrote to President Obama last month urging the redeployment of National Guard troops to the border with the authority to "stop and turn back" illegal immigrants, applauded the measure.
"It indicates they're listening, finally. This shows a degree of national concern we hadn't seen and I am glad to see it," Mr. Goddard said.
Immigration experts said the troop announcement underscored the need for a comprehensive initiative, rather than ad-hoc measures.
"This proves that until we have comprehensive immigration policy, we'll subject the country to a series of band-aids, rather than a long-term solution," said Rick Nelson, a national-security analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C. He called the troop deployment "more posturing than an effective measure."
The troop deployment would fall short of the full gamut of steps called for by some critics, even as it antagonized immigrant-rights groups.
Jeff Sessions (R., Ala.), the ranking minority member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, called the troop deployment an "important step," but stressed the need for "vigorous worksite enforcement, full cooperation with state and local law enforcement officials, strong support for completion of the border fence, and all other necessary border measures."
"We are outraged," said Pablo Alvarado, director of the National Day Laborer Organizing Network, a Los Angeles-based immigrant advocacy group.
"Instead of addressing a domestic human rights crisis, the president appears to be caving into extremists who are further shattering an already broken immigration system," he said.
