White House Defends Border Plan
15.05.2006 14:16 - category: Category two: Sub category 1 - Source: CBS
(CBS/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.
Mr. 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.
The White House also says the added role will not compromise National Guard responsibilities in the Iraq war or traditional disaster response, CBS News White House correspondent Peter Maer reports.
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 10,000 Guardsmen.
No active duty troops would be involved, CBS News senior White House correspondent Bill Plante reports.
Snow did not rule out bringing in troops from non-border states, but he said the final call on that would be up to governors, Maer reports.
White House counselor Dan Bartlett told CBS News' The Early Show that the use of National Guard troops won't be "a militarization of the borders."
Bartlett told CBS News that guard forces sent to the Mexican border area "will not have law enforcement responsibilities or powers." They will act "in a supportive role."
In a signal of the high stakes on the issue, Mr. 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 Arizona to further press his case.CBS News will broadcast President Bush's address to the nation at 8 p.m. ET. CBSNews.com will also Webcast the speech live. The speech is set to run less than 20 minutes.
Though some Republicans defended Mr. 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."
Under Mr. 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 Mr. Bush's proposal goes further in beefing up border enforcement than do competing immigrations bills in the House and Senate.
Mr. 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.
The White House also says the added role will not compromise National Guard responsibilities in the Iraq war or traditional disaster response, CBS News White House correspondent Peter Maer reports.
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 10,000 Guardsmen.
No active duty troops would be involved, CBS News senior White House correspondent Bill Plante reports.
Snow did not rule out bringing in troops from non-border states, but he said the final call on that would be up to governors, Maer reports.
White House counselor Dan Bartlett told CBS News' The Early Show that the use of National Guard troops won't be "a militarization of the borders."
Bartlett told CBS News that guard forces sent to the Mexican border area "will not have law enforcement responsibilities or powers." They will act "in a supportive role."
In a signal of the high stakes on the issue, Mr. 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 Arizona to further press his case.CBS News will broadcast President Bush's address to the nation at 8 p.m. ET. CBSNews.com will also Webcast the speech live. The speech is set to run less than 20 minutes.
Though some Republicans defended Mr. 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."
Under Mr. 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 Mr. Bush's proposal goes further in beefing up border enforcement than do competing immigrations bills in the House and Senate.
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