National Guard Troops heading To Arizona

 As Arizona counts down the days until its controversial immigration bill goes into effect, the federal government announced on Monday that National Guard troops and other reinforcements are scheduled to arrive in the state beginning Aug. 1 to help battle the movement of illegal immigrants and drugs across the border.

In addition to the roughly 524 National Guard troops that the administration has previously promised to send to the Arizona-Mexico border, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano announced on Monday that hundreds of additional Border Patrol agents and customs officers will also be sent to the area.

"We are also reassigning major technology assets, including mobile surveillance systems, thermal-imaging binocular units, and trucks equipped with detection scopes, as well as observation and utility aircraft," Napolitano said in a guest column in the Arizona Republic.

Up to 1200 Guard troops will be deployed to the Southwest in total, and the troops will train and be fully deployed by September, reports The Associated Press. They are slated to be stationed on the border for a year, and will be working in Arizona, California, New Mexico and Texas.

The Republic also spoke to a government official, interviewed on condition of anonymity, who said Napolitano will be sending over 300 Border Patrol agents and port inspectors to the Tucson Sector, while also shifting 100 existing ICE personnel to be on duty across Arizona state.

The Obama administration has publicly decried Arizona's new law, scheduled to start being enforced July 20, and the Justice Department is suing to block the bill on the grounds that it attempts to usurp the power of the federal government.

Instead, President Obama has outlined an approach to immigration reform that would include a process to allow illegal immigrants to gain residency by paying back taxes and passing background checks, among other stipulations.

In her column for the Republic, Napolitano reiterated that security along the U.S.-Mexico border has improved in recent years. "Despite what those looking to score political points may tell you, the numbers show we are moving in the right direction," she wrote. "Last year, illegal crossings along the Southwest border were down 23 percent...And, by all measurable standards, crime levels in U.S. border towns have remained flat for most of the last decade."

Yet recent polls show that most Americans support even tougher laws against illegal immigration. A Gallup poll this month found that a majority of Americans responded badly to the Justice Department's lawsuit against the Arizona bill, with 50 percent of respondents reporting a negative initial reaction, while only 33 percent reacted positively.

"This means the Obama administration is sailing against the tide of public opinion in its efforts to block the law," Gallup reported.    Source: DailyNews





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Obama Plans Immigration Speech This Thursday

President Obama will give a speech on immigration on Thursday, but it is unlikely to include any new policy initiatives and will not be preceded by an announcement on a Justice Department lawsuit in Arizona, officials said.
The appearance will take place at American University's School of International Service at 10:45 a.m. Thursday, the White House said.

Officials in Arizona and Texas are clamoring for more National Guard troops along the U.S.-Mexico border, saying that their share of a planned new deployment won't be enough to make a dent in illegal immigration.

After a meeting Monday with Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, officials with the Obama administration announced that Arizona would receive a sizable share of the 1,200 planned new troops, 524. That is more than double the number allocated to any of the other three border states, even though Arizona abuts only about 19% of the U.S.-Mexican border.

By comparison, Texas is set to receive 250 guard troops, even though it has 60% of the 2,000-mile border. California will receive 224 and New Mexico 72, the administration announced. The remaining troops would report to a national liaison office.

Texas and Arizona, both led by Republican governors, immediately complained about their allocations. "Obviously, that is not sufficient to secure the border," said Katherine Cesinger, a spokeswoman for Texas Gov. Rick Perry. "We're going to continue to urge the federal government to provide the resources we need."

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer expressed similar concern and said that the 524 troops were not what she had hoped she would receive.

Tensions have already been high between Ms. Brewer and the Obama administration after the governor signed a law requiring police who are enforcing other laws to check the immigration status of anyone they suspect of being in the country illegally. The Obama administration has threatened to sue Arizona over the law.

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs responded to complaints from the governors by saying the administration's effort to secure the border has been extraordinary. "The president has made a big commitment to securing the border," he said Tuesday. President Obama is expected to make a speech on immigration laws Thursday.

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Republican, and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, a Democrat, struck more conciliatory tones. Mr. Schwarzenegger, in a statement, applauded President Obama for sending the additional troops. However, he too said he would "continue to urge the federal government to provide more National Guard personnel for our border.

" Mr. Richardson's office called the Obama administration announcement a good first step.
Texas and Arizona say that crime is high along their borders and there is an imminent need for amped-up security.

The sector of the border that includes Tucson, Ariz., had more arrests of illegal immigrants attempting to cross the border than any other sector, with 241,000 in 2009, according to the Department of Homeland Security. The next closest was the San Diego sector with 119,000 arrests.
Still, the arrests in the Tucson sector in 2009 were down 36% from 2007.

Federal legislation sponsored by Sen. John McCain, an Arizona Republican, would bring 6,000 National Guard troops to the four border states. Arizona has requested 3,000 of those.

"Those numbers are more in line with what is usually estimated as needed to secure the border," said Fred Burton, a former special agent with the state department and a vice president of intelligence at Stratfor, a global intelligence company.     Source-Wall St Journal