Bush Weighs Deploying Guard to U.S. Border

A border patrol agent rides along the iron fences that separates Douglas, Arizona and Aguq Prieta, Mexico along the international border Tuesday, May 9, 2006, in Douglas, Ariz. Congress is considering putting fencing of various sorts along the 850 miles of border that runs through four states at a cost of $2.5 billion. (AP Photo/Matt York) (Matt York - AP)

Currently there are about 100 National Guard troops involved in counter-drug operations, including some along the border, said Guard Bureau spokesman Jack Harrison. He said there are also between 10 to 15 Guard members _ mostly engineers _ helping border patrol agents with vehicle and heavy equipment support.

The discussions this week underscored the importance of the border and immigrations issues, yet were tentative enough to reflect worries about drawing the nation's armed forces into a politically sensitive domestic role.

Southern lawmakers met with White House strategist Karl Rove earlier in the week for a discussion that included making greater use of National Guard troops to shore up border control. And on Capitol Hill, the Senate is poised to pass legislation this month that would call for additional border security, a new guest worker program and provisions opening the way to eventual citizenship for many of the estimated 11 million to 12 million illegal immigrants in the country.

Currently, the military plays a very limited role along the borders, but some active duty forces have been used in the past to help battle drug traffickers.

The National Guard is generally under the control of the state governors, but Guard units can be federalized by the president, such as those sent to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Active duty military may not be used for law enforcement unless the president authorizes it.

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AP White House correspondent Terence Hunt contributed to this report.

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