States seek funding for National Guard border program

The Associated Press
3:57 p.m. April 23, 2009

SANTA FE, N.M. — Gov. Bill Richardson and three other governors are asking congressional leaders to fully fund a long-standing program in which National Guard troops help with anti-drug efforts at the U.S.-Mexico border.

Richardson and the governors of Arizona, California and Texas sent a letter Wednesday to House and Senate leaders, saying that funding the program would allow federal, state and local law enforcement to fulfill the federal government's commitment to reduce demand for illegal drugs in the United States.

The requested funding would increase New Mexico's budget for the anti-drug mission by about $5 million and allow for the deployment of 100 additional National Guard personnel.

Richardson says that as the violence associated with drug and weapons trafficking intensifies, it's clear that additional manpower is needed

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