Where are they pulling the troops from I wonder?
Bush to Call on Guard to Bolster Border
May 15, 1:35 PM (ET)
By NEDRA PICKLER
WASHINGTON (AP) - President Bush is sending thousands of National Guard troops to bolster patrols along the Mexican border, a move designed to win support for immigration reform from get-tough conservatives in his party.
Bush, in a speech to the nation Monday, is proposing to use the troops in a supportive role to the Border Patrol while it builds up its resources to more effectively secure the 2,000-mile line between the U.S. and Mexico, White House spokesman Tony Snow said.
Snow said the effort would use only "a very small percentage of the Guard," which numbers about 400,000 members around the country. White House officials say it would involve fewer than 8,000 Guardsmen.
In a signal of the high stakes on the issue, Bush was to make the announcement at 8 p.m. EDT, in a rare prime-time speech from the Oval Office. He planned to follow up the address with a visit Thursday to the border, in Yuma, Ariz., to further press his case.
The broadcast networks ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox and the cable networks Fox News Channel, CNN and MSNBC planned live coverage of the speech, set to run less than 20 minutes.
Though some Republicans defended Bush's plan, others on both sides of the aisle expressed concern about overextending a National Guard force that is already tied up in Iraq and must be at the ready for disaster relief.
"We've got National Guard members on their second, third and fourth tours in Iraq," said Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb. "We have stretched our military as thin as we have ever seen it in modern times. And what in the world are we talking about here, sending a National Guard that we may not have any capacity to send up to or down to protect borders? That's not their role."
Conservative Republican Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama said Bush's proposal could allay concerns of those who oppose Senate legislation that includes Bush's wish for temporary work permits for foreigners to enter the country and take low-paying jobs. But Sessions, who is among those opponents who want a harder line on illegal immigration, said stepped-up border enforcement "can't be a token effort."
"The president has got to look the American people in the eye and he's got to tell them from his heart that he actually means to have a legal immigration system, that he's prepared to ask the Congress for the resources he needs to make that happen," he said.
Under Bush's proposal, formed in consultation with border-state governors who command the National Guard, Border Patrol agents would maintain primary responsibility for physically guarding the border. National Guard soldiers will not perform law enforcement duties, but will help in such areas as construction, surveillance and transportation, Snow said.
Snow would not say how long it would take to beef up the Border Patrol to the point where the National Guard troops would no longer be needed - or how the operation would be funded. But he said Bush's proposal goes further in beefing up border enforcement than do competing immigrations bills in the House and Senate.
In his speech, Bush also will mention the need for immigrants to learn English and assimilate into American culture if they are to become citizens.
Mexican President Vicente Fox called Bush Sunday to express concern about what he called the possibility of a "militarized" border between the two nations.
Snow said Bush assured Fox that there is "no attempt to militarize the border." The president told Fox that any military support would be administrative and logistical and would come from the National Guard and not the Army, according to a news release from Fox's office.
Bush hopes adding the National Guard troops to make the border more secure will persuade congressional conservatives to approve a broader immigration bill that would include his primary objective - a guest worker program. That idea is favored by the business community, but many conservatives want a tougher approach on illegal immigrants.
"I think it's more about political opportunity than political cover," Snow said of Bush's plan.
About 100 National Guard troops are serving on the border to assist with counter-drug operations, heavy equipment support and other functions. Some lawmakers say an increase is unwise.
Hagel said the bill under debate in the Senate that he helped write would double the 12,000-strong Border Patrol force over the next five years. "That's the way to fix it, not further stretching the National Guard," he said on ABC's "This Week."
Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., said there may be a need for troops to fill in while the Border Patrol is bolstered. But he did not seem confident that the National Guard could take on the extra duty.
But Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., said lawmakers who doubt that the National Guard could take on border patrol duty are "whining" and "moaning."
Bush to Call on Guard to Bolster Border
May 15, 1:35 PM (ET)
By NEDRA PICKLER
WASHINGTON (AP) - President Bush is sending thousands of National Guard troops to bolster patrols along the Mexican border, a move designed to win support for immigration reform from get-tough conservatives in his party.
Bush, in a speech to the nation Monday, is proposing to use the troops in a supportive role to the Border Patrol while it builds up its resources to more effectively secure the 2,000-mile line between the U.S. and Mexico, White House spokesman Tony Snow said.
Snow said the effort would use only "a very small percentage of the Guard," which numbers about 400,000 members around the country. White House officials say it would involve fewer than 8,000 Guardsmen.
In a signal of the high stakes on the issue, Bush was to make the announcement at 8 p.m. EDT, in a rare prime-time speech from the Oval Office. He planned to follow up the address with a visit Thursday to the border, in Yuma, Ariz., to further press his case.
The broadcast networks ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox and the cable networks Fox News Channel, CNN and MSNBC planned live coverage of the speech, set to run less than 20 minutes.
Though some Republicans defended Bush's plan, others on both sides of the aisle expressed concern about overextending a National Guard force that is already tied up in Iraq and must be at the ready for disaster relief.
"We've got National Guard members on their second, third and fourth tours in Iraq," said Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb. "We have stretched our military as thin as we have ever seen it in modern times. And what in the world are we talking about here, sending a National Guard that we may not have any capacity to send up to or down to protect borders? That's not their role."
Conservative Republican Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama said Bush's proposal could allay concerns of those who oppose Senate legislation that includes Bush's wish for temporary work permits for foreigners to enter the country and take low-paying jobs. But Sessions, who is among those opponents who want a harder line on illegal immigration, said stepped-up border enforcement "can't be a token effort."
"The president has got to look the American people in the eye and he's got to tell them from his heart that he actually means to have a legal immigration system, that he's prepared to ask the Congress for the resources he needs to make that happen," he said.
Under Bush's proposal, formed in consultation with border-state governors who command the National Guard, Border Patrol agents would maintain primary responsibility for physically guarding the border. National Guard soldiers will not perform law enforcement duties, but will help in such areas as construction, surveillance and transportation, Snow said.
Snow would not say how long it would take to beef up the Border Patrol to the point where the National Guard troops would no longer be needed - or how the operation would be funded. But he said Bush's proposal goes further in beefing up border enforcement than do competing immigrations bills in the House and Senate.
In his speech, Bush also will mention the need for immigrants to learn English and assimilate into American culture if they are to become citizens.
Mexican President Vicente Fox called Bush Sunday to express concern about what he called the possibility of a "militarized" border between the two nations.
Snow said Bush assured Fox that there is "no attempt to militarize the border." The president told Fox that any military support would be administrative and logistical and would come from the National Guard and not the Army, according to a news release from Fox's office.
Bush hopes adding the National Guard troops to make the border more secure will persuade congressional conservatives to approve a broader immigration bill that would include his primary objective - a guest worker program. That idea is favored by the business community, but many conservatives want a tougher approach on illegal immigrants.
"I think it's more about political opportunity than political cover," Snow said of Bush's plan.
About 100 National Guard troops are serving on the border to assist with counter-drug operations, heavy equipment support and other functions. Some lawmakers say an increase is unwise.
Hagel said the bill under debate in the Senate that he helped write would double the 12,000-strong Border Patrol force over the next five years. "That's the way to fix it, not further stretching the National Guard," he said on ABC's "This Week."
Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., said there may be a need for troops to fill in while the Border Patrol is bolstered. But he did not seem confident that the National Guard could take on the extra duty.
But Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., said lawmakers who doubt that the National Guard could take on border patrol duty are "whining" and "moaning."
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