Money Requested for Border Security
By RANDAL C. ARCHIBOLD and MARC LACEY
Published: June 22, 2010

LOS ANGELES — The Obama administration is asking Congress for money to expand the Border Patrol by 1,000 agents, add scores of other federal law enforcement officers and deploy two more aerial drones as part of heightened security at the Mexican border.

The request came in a letter on Tuesday from President Obama to the House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, asking for $500 million in additional border security spending to go with 1,200 National Guard troops Mr. Obama plans to send.

“This request responds to urgent and essential needs,â€