President Obama announced yesterday that his administration is requesting and extra $500 million in the budget for US-Mexico border security and that he plans to deploy 1,200 National Guard troops to the region.
The additional troops will reinforce the 340 who are already stationed on the border engaged in monitoring border crossings and analyzing intelligence. Describing the extra troops as a “force multiplier”, the White House indicated that some would also be involved in counternarcotics missions, a statement that was met with praise by the Mexican Ambassador to the United States.
The president’s announcement comes at a time when renewed attention is being paid to border region violence and the issue of illegal immigration and the need for comprehensive reform.
Increased feuding among Mexico’s drug cartels has claimed the lives of over 20,000 individuals in that country since 2006. Much of the violence has occurred in Mexico’s northern border states prompting concerns from the US side.
Additionally, the recent passage of a stringent anti-immigration law in the state of Arizona has renewed the call for Congress and the White Hose to tackle comprehensive immigration reform legislation.
Earlier this month, in an address to Hispanic leaders, Obama renewed his pledge to undertake the effort but stressed that he could only do so with the support of Republicans in the Senate.
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