Napolitano and Brewer meet in Boston, talk border security

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano met Sunday morning with Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer in Boston urged Brewer to support the Obama administration's ongoing efforts to secure the U.S.-Mexico border, a Napolitano aide familiar with the conversation told AZ/DC.

Brewer, a Republican who became Arizona governor in January 2009 when Napolitano, a Democrat, resigned to take the job in President Barack Obama's Cabinet, was in Boston for the National Governors Association annual meeting. Brewer and Napolitano spoke for 20 to 30 minutes.

According to the Napolitano aide, Napolitano asked Brewer to back the efforts to improve border security by directing new resources to the border, including 1,200 National Guard troops (524 of which are going to Arizona).

Napolitano also briefed Brewer on Obama's bid for $399 million in supplemental Homeland Security funding, which her aide said would provide $297 million to hire 1,000 new Border Patrol agents (500 of which would go to Arizona), $37 million for two new unmanned aerial detection systems, $52.5 million for 160 new Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents (including 50 for Arizona), $6.5 million for 30 new Customs and Border Protection officers and $6 million for 20 new CBP canine teams.

In an email to AZ/DC, Brewer spokesman Paul Senseman gave this account of the discussion:

"Governor Brewer asked the Secretary to provide significantly more resources than their current proposal. She also specifically asked about SCAAP funding. They (feds) essentially support an augmentation of security that is reliant upon supplemental funding from Congress. The Governor believes the federal government can and should dramatically improve border security."

SCAAP stands for the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program.

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Sunday, July 11, 2010 at 07:11 PM

http://www.azcentral.com/members/Blog/azdc/90270