No mention of comprehensive immigration reform here: President Obama has requested an emergency $600 million from Congress to boost border security. The cash would pay for a big personnel increase—1,000 more Border Patrol agents, 160 Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, 1,200 National Guard troops, and more FBI task forces and Drug Enforcement Administration agents—as well as other security measures, like more Border Patrol canine teams, two drones, and DNA and ballistic analysis technology for Mexican authorities desperately trying to control the drug violence there. Another $100 million would go toward strengthening fences and infrastructure along the border. As the drug war heats up in Mexico, so does illegal immigration anxiety in the Southwest, and Obama's request is perhaps a reaction to Arizona's controversial new immigration law.
Sources: Los Angeles Times (Peter Nichols, June 22, 2010)
The Daily Beast
Photo: Don Bartletti, Los Angeles Times
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