Monday, May 15, 2006 10:00 p.m. EDT
Sen. Kyl 'Delighted' by Bush Border Plan



Bush: Place 6,000 Troops on the Border




Arizona Sen. Jon Kyl said he was "delighted" with President Bush's plan to send the National Guard to the U.S. border with Mexico, saying that added troops will help free up the Border Patrol to do their work more effectively.


But as Bush pitched the idea Monday and planned a visit later this week to Yuma, Ariz., other members of the state's congressional delegation were skeptical that increasing the military presence at the border would help solve the problems that lead to illegal immigration.


About 400 National Guard troops already assist with border security along the 2,000-mile U.S.-Mexico border.


Rep. Raul Grijalva, a Democrat who represents Yuma and much of southern Arizona, called adding more Guard members "a move that will cement the full militarization of the U.S. and Mexican border.


"The Bush strategy will have no effect on security," Grijalva added. "It will only deepen the divisions in our nation and among other nations, both in the short term and long term."



Bush's proposal came as senators began another round of debate over how to overhaul the nation's immigration policy.


The House in December passed a border security bill, which also increased penalties for illegal immigrants and the employers who hire them.


Bush has insisted the nation needs a revised guest-worker program and a path to citizenship for many of the 11-12 million illegal immigrants now in the country. Many senators agree, but they failed to pass guest worker legislation earlier this spring. Last week, they agreed to revive the debate and pass a bill by Memorial Day.


Bush's call for troops at the border is designed to appeal to conservatives, such as GOP Rep. J.D. Hayworth, who have criticized Congress for being soft on immigration.


Hayworth will tour the border with Bush on Thursday. He pledged to use the time to "persuade the president to adopt an enforcement-first approach to deal with the problem."


A vocal supporter of strengthening the border, Hayworth said he encouraged temporarily sending troops to help the Border Patrol.


"If we can call out the National Guard to deal with a hurricane, then it surely makes sense to call out the Guard to deal with a situation that has far greater national security implications," he said.


Kyl, who has argued illegal immigrants should have to return home before being considered for a temporary worker permit, agreed. "Until the federal government can convince the American people that it is serious about securing our borders, it will be hard to consider other factors of immigration reform," he said.


But others encouraged Bush to use his position to win consensus in Congress on a guest worker plan.



Arizona GOP Sen. John McCain, who sponsored a guest-worker bill with Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., which outlines a path for immigrants to gain citizenship, is encouraged by Bush's involvement this week, his spokeswoman Eileen McMenamin said.

Republican U.S. Reps. Jeff Flake and Jim Kolbe, both of Arizona, have proposed a House bill similar to McCain's. Flake praised Bush's efforts.


"Obviously, simply addressing the enforcement side of the issue might be more politically expedient," Flake said. "But you have to salute President Bush for recognizing that we can't solve the problem without a temporary worker program and insisting that Congress include one as we debate an immigration reform bill."
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2006 ... shtml?s=ic