President Barack Obama will deploy up to 1,200 more National Guard troops to the U.S. border with Mexico, an administration official told CNN on Tuesday.
In addition, Obama will request $500 million in supplemental funds to current spending for enhanced border protection and law enforcement activities, the official said.
The National Guard troops will help with drug enforcement efforts and intelligence efforts until Customs and Border Patrol can recruit and train additional officers and agents to serve on the border, the official said.
The news followed Obama's lunch meeting with Senate Republicans, where Sen. John McCain of Arizona raised the issue of increased border security. McCain and fellow Arizona Republican Sen. Jon Kyl, as well as Democratic Rep. Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona, have called for Obama to send more troops to the border region.
"It's simply not enough," McCain said Tuesday on the Senate floor. He called for 3,000 more National Guard troops just for the Arizona-Mexico border.
Giffords, who had called for the National Guard's deployment immediately after the March 27 murder of Cochise County rancher Rob Krentz, said Obama's step was "the right thing."
"Arizonans know that more boots on the ground means a safer and more secure border," Giffords said in a written statement. "Washington heard our message."
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Finally the National Guard is being used for it's intended purpose since they are state funded also instead of deploying them overseas. 1,200 is not enough since the border stretches so long, but at least it's a move in the right direction. Hopefully this will continue in addition to working with the Minutemen and Border Patrol.
So is the breaking news that he is sending the troops or that he is finally doing his job.
Great. We're going to spend millions to insure that no one will be around to pick our crops in the field.
Expect higher prices at the grocery store soon...
I will gladly pay more at the grocery store and cut my own grass, if that's what it takes to protect our country.
Randy, I agree, we need to protect ourselves. I didn't realize how dangerous these people are. I am going to install artificial turf and commit to only buying foreign food products. Is there anywhere else that this menace is hiding?
Nice job Mr. President!
good move Obama, now americans can start picking fruit and cutting lawns.
I'm sure all those people who have been whining about immigration are ready to take the meatpacking and fruit picking jobs.
Yeah, that's gonna happen! I can't even find a f'ing teenager to shovel my dang snow in the winter! They'd rather play video games and stay in where it's warm and cozy. And have you seen what teenagers make for babysitting these days? Nearly $20 an hour in this area.
THEY SHOULD PUT A PERIMETER AROUND THAT *** HOLE TEXAS!
We should do what Mexico does on it's southern border. Shoot to kill, no questions asked.
Way to go roland, nice for you to show your criminal behavior here in this chat!!!
How's that ricky? How is telling people what Mexico does on their southern border criminal? Explain how you reach that conclusion. It's what they do, and it is EXACTLY what we should be doing. Do you disagree with me?
Currently the murder capital of the U.S., I wish Barack would send 1200 troops to the southside of Chicago. The latest figures show that Chicago had racked up 122 homicides for the year, exceeding the 116 killings over the comparable period in 2009. Among the top 10 U.S. cities, Chicago is within shooting distance of advancing from second place to win the dubious distinction of being the U.S. murder capital.
For those complaining about this being merely a single sentence I offer only this: patience.
The story just broke – it will take time to get and double check the facts before they present a full release.
Anyone with an ounce of common sense knows this. For the rest of you… well… there you are, aren’t you?
You said it Jose ! I was planning to hop the fence to get a free operation in AZ & then sneak back.
Now what the hell are we supposed to ?
Obviously he took the lead from the Queen of England who pledged to stop the influx of immigrants into the UK when Parliament opened earlier today. Let's hope their brief isn't to go down to the border, link arms and sing 'come by aye' or some other equally silly, innefective democratic mission statement.
Yeah, and in the UK, the white folks are the immigrants and the muslims are the majority now, hadn't you heard? Sharia law is the law of the land in some parts of the UK.
im a big mexican viva la fiesta
Unless the NG is free to engage the hostiles having them there is a little less than pointless.
Try sending fully armed......troops of 50,000
While you're at it hire the 2000 border patrol agents you promise and are required by law to protect the borders.
it doesn't matter how many troops or agents you put there. if their hands are tied by bureaucratic tape they can't do anything
For what? It would be great if it was to help fight off the drug cartels in Juarez.
Yes, that would be great, but then we'd have a few troops get killed and then a few more and then we'd send more and more and eventually, we'd say we were involved in a police state, not a war. Vietnam all over again.