WASHINGTON - President Bush, trying to build momentum for an overhaul of the nation's immigration laws, is considering plans to shore up the Mexican border with National Guard troops paid for by the federal government, according to senior administration officials.
One defense official said military leaders believe the number of troops required could range from 3,500 to 10,000, depending on the final plan. Another administration official cautioned that the 10,000 figure was too high.
The officials insisted on anonymity since no decision has been announced.
The president was expected to reveal his plans in an address Monday at 8 p.m. EDT. It will be the first time he has used the Oval Office for a domestic policy speech - a gesture intended to underscore the importance he places on the divisive immigration issue.
The key questions Friday were exactly how many National Guard troops might be deployed, for how long and at what cost to taxpayers - as well as the problem of possible disruption of upcoming deployments to Iraq and elsewhere overseas.
Using those troops for border security is “maybe not the right way to go,” said California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, the Republican former movie star, though he agreed the federal government is obliged to secure the borders.
“Not to use our National Guard, soldiers that are coming back from Iraq, for instance, and they have spent a year and a half over there and now they're coming back,” he said. “I think that we should let them go to work, back to work again.”
Texas Democratic Reps. Silvestre Reyes and Solomon Ortiz - both senior members of the Armed Services Committee - sent a letter to Bush urging him to consider a number of issues before deploying the troops, including whether another mission is in the best interest of “our over-stretched military.”
As discussions among the White House, the Pentagon and the states continued on how the military could be used to secure the southern border, defense officials said states want the federal government to pick up what will be a significant tab for the increased security.
Bush's speech Monday night is intended to build support for broad immigration overhaul by taking substantive steps to secure the border.
“We need to beef up those (border) operations and the cost will be substantial,” Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said.
The officials insisted on anonymity since no decision has been announced.
The president was expected to reveal his plans in an address Monday at 8 p.m. EDT. It will be the first time he has used the Oval Office for a domestic policy speech - a gesture intended to underscore the importance he places on the divisive immigration issue.
The key questions Friday were exactly how many National Guard troops might be deployed, for how long and at what cost to taxpayers - as well as the problem of possible disruption of upcoming deployments to Iraq and elsewhere overseas.
Using those troops for border security is “maybe not the right way to go,” said California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, the Republican former movie star, though he agreed the federal government is obliged to secure the borders.
“Not to use our National Guard, soldiers that are coming back from Iraq, for instance, and they have spent a year and a half over there and now they're coming back,” he said. “I think that we should let them go to work, back to work again.”
Texas Democratic Reps. Silvestre Reyes and Solomon Ortiz - both senior members of the Armed Services Committee - sent a letter to Bush urging him to consider a number of issues before deploying the troops, including whether another mission is in the best interest of “our over-stretched military.”
As discussions among the White House, the Pentagon and the states continued on how the military could be used to secure the southern border, defense officials said states want the federal government to pick up what will be a significant tab for the increased security.
Bush's speech Monday night is intended to build support for broad immigration overhaul by taking substantive steps to secure the border.
“We need to beef up those (border) operations and the cost will be substantial,” Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said.
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