Obama to Send 1,200 Troops to Southwest Border

Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords has announced that the Obama Administration will send up to 1,200 National Guard troops to the Southwest border. Pres. Obama also plans to request $500 million from Congress to increase border security.

The move is in response to Arizona lawmakers passing a new immigration enforcement law that has come under sharp criticism from the Obama Administration.

Earlier today, Pres. Obama attended the Senate Republican luncheon where immigration was a topic of discussion. Pres. Obama singled out several Senators who have supported immigration reform in the past, including Arizona Sen. John McCain who cosponsored amnesty legislation in 2007 but is in a tough re-election battle. Reports from the luncheon said the conversation was “testy” and “direct”.

After the meeting, a Sen. McCain spokesperson said, “We need to secure the borders first. He didn’t agree.”

The Bush Administration sent National Guard troops to the border in 2006. The troops were not involved in enforcing immigration laws, but instead did many of the non-enforcement tasks that often prevented agents from patrolling the border.