Thread: Mexico’s Fox airs concerns on border measures

News on NBC tonight.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12788967/

Mexico’s Fox airs concerns on border measures

Places call to Bush; Congress also voices fears of Nat’l Guard on the border
NBC VIDEO


• Border deployment plan questioned
As President Bush prepares to explain his immigration reform proposal to the nation on Monday night, governors in several border states are already raising doubts about a plan to deploy National Guard troops along the U.S.-Mexico border. NBC's Jeannie Ohm reports.
Nightly News

MSNBC News Services
Updated: 7:29 p.m. ET May 14, 2006
WASHINGTON - Mexican President Vicente Fox telephoned President Bush on Sunday to express his concern about the border between the two nations as members of Congress said they thought that using National Guard troops to keep illegal immigrants from crossing the border would further burden an overextended military.

The criticism on the eve of Bush’s planned Oval Office speech to the nation on immigration came from Democrats, but also an important Republican negotiator in the immigration debate — Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska. He said National Guard troops cannot secure the border over the long term and that he does not think it is wise even in the short term.

White House spokeswoman Maria Tamburri said Bush made clear to Fox in the morning telephone conversation that “the United States considered Mexico a friend and that what is being considered is not militarization of the border, but support of border capabilities on a temporary basis by the National Guard.”

She said the two presidents discussed cooperative efforts underway along the border and that Bush reiterated to Fox “his commitment to comprehensive immigration reform.”

She said Fox “reached out” to Bush, but she did not know how long the call lasted or the time it occurred.

A news release from Fox’s office said the Mexican president initiated the call and characterized Bush as “analyzing the administrative and logistical support of part of the National Guard, not the army, to help police on the border.”

The Mexican release said that Bush and Fox agreed that a comprehensive immigration reform is needed in the United States.

“In the conversation, President Bush reiterated his conviction that the migration issue can only be resolved with an integral and comprehensive reform,” said the release.

“We’ve got National Guard members on their second, third and fourth tours in Iraq,” Hagel said. “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.”

The president’s national security adviser said sending troops to patrol the border with Mexico is among the ideas Bush is considering on immigration.

Address on Monday night
Bush planned to say in his national address at 8 p.m. EDT Monday how the government should deal with border security and illegal immigrants already in the United States, Stephen Hadley said.

“This is not about militarizing the border,” Hadley said on “Face the Nation” on CBS. “The president is looking to do everything he can to secure the border. It’s what the American people want.”

Bush is considering the National Guard plan as he seeks support from conservatives in Congress for his immigration bill. Bush wants to allow foreigners to get temporary work permits to enter and work in the U.S., but many conservatives want a tougher approach on illegal immigrants trying to sneak into the country.

Frist supports idea
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., said he supported using the National Guard on the Mexican border. He said lawmakers who doubt that the National Guard, whose members have served for years in Iraq and went to the Gulf Coast after last summer’s hurricanes, could take on border patrol duty are “whining” and “moaning.”

“We’ve got to secure our borders,” Frist said on CNN’s “Late Edition.” “We hear it from the American people. We’ve got millions of people coming across that border. First and foremost, secure the border, whatever it takes. Everything else we’ve done has failed. We’ve got to face that. And so we need to bring in, I believe, the National Guard.”

Hagel said the bill under debate in the Senate that he helped write would double the 12,000-strong Border Patrol force over the next five years. “That’s the way to fix it, not further stretching the National Guard,” he said on ABC’s “This Week.”

Biden doubtful
Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., said there may be a need for troops to fill in while the Border Patrol is bolstered. But he did not seem confident that the National Guard could take on the extra duty.

“We have stretched these men and women so thin, so thin, because of the bad mistakes done by the civilians in the military here, that I wonder how they’re going to be able to do it,” Biden said, also on ABC.

About 100 National Guard troops are serving on the border to assist with counter-drug operations, heavy equipment support and other functions. Bush is considering an increase into the thousands, and Hadley would not directly rule out using armed National Guard troops directly on guard duty.

Hadley also would not say whether Bush supports building a fence or wall along part of the border with Mexico. Hadley said the president and Congress will have to decide how immigrant workers who are in the U.S. illegally can become citizens.

Frist said the full Senate planned to begin debating the immigration bill Monday and that it would take up to two weeks to pass.

Senators would have to resolve any differences with the House version of the bill, which did not address the guest worker issue but increases penalties for illegal immigration activities and funds a 700-mile border fence.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

Hey wait one little minute.

I SMELL SOMETHING OFF HERE.

No Way........we've just coordinated with Mexican military re: border

and

RUMMY Met w/Mexican official re: the military on the border & cooporation

THIS IS A SET UP - PURE AND SIMPLE.

OOOOOOooooooooo, someone's playing dirty.

Are you just now realizing this is purely and simply a setup? Anyone that reports civilians to Mexico, allows millions of ILLEGALS to rally in the streets and demand rights they do not have and call the Minutemen "vigilantes" besides completely ignoring U.S. citizens has more than his arm up his sleeve. To me it is pure treasonous behavior but you can call it a set-up.

You misunderstand me, RETIRED

My point is that the foxy phone call {and press release} was a set up.

The rest of the horsemanure is self explanitory.

To reiterate what I said in one of my previous posts this is another dog and pony show in an attempt to placate the American Public and House conservatives. And with Bush's brother Vicente Fox calling him on the "taco line" this really smells of collusion between the Vicente brothers. If Vicente Bush deploys troops I am sure they will be doing nothing but playing tiddly winks while taking orders from the Mexican Government via "advisory offices" established in the command post tents and TOCs just as is done with the border patrol. Bush probably told his brother not to worry as the troops will not impede the flow of illegal aliens or drugs. I will NEVER trust this administration again.

To reiterate what I said in one of my previous posts this is another dog and pony show in an attempt to placate the American Public and House conservatives. And with Bush's brother Vicente Fox calling him on the "taco line" this really smells of collusion between the Vicente brothers. If Vicente Bush deploys troops I am sure they will be doing nothing but playing tiddly winks while taking orders from the Mexican Government via "advisory offices" established in the command post tents and TOCs just as is done with the border patrol. Bush probably told his brother not to worry as the troops will not impede the flow of illegal aliens or drugs. I will NEVER trust this administration again.

This is sick and twisted. A president ,asking permission of another president from another country for permission to secure his own borders .