Bush Seeks Compromise On Immigration

(CBS/AP)  President Bush said Monday night he will send as many as 6,000 National Guard troops to the U.S. border with Mexico to help stop the flood of illegal immigrants, part of an administration drive to win conservative support in Congress for an election year overhaul of the nation's tattered immigration laws.

"We do not yet have full control of the border and I am determined to change that," the president said in a prime-time address from the Oval Office.

With polls showing a majority of conservatives disapproving of Mr. Bush's handling of immigration, CBS News chief White House correspondent Jim Axelrod reports the main focus of his address was directed at those who feel he's been too soft tightening borders.

Mr. Bush gave strong support to a plan that would give many of the 12 million illegal immigrants in the United States an eventual chance of citizenship — a move derided by some conservatives as amnesty. He rejected that term.

"Amnesty would be unfair to those who are here lawfully – and it would invite further waves of illegal immigration," Mr. Bush said.

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But Mr. Bush rejected the idea of mass deportations. "It is neither wise nor realistic to round up millions of people, many with deep roots in the United States, and send them across the border," he said. "There is a rational middle ground between granting an automatic path to citizenship for every illegal immigrant and a program of mass deportation."

The Guard troops would mostly serve two-week stints before rotating out of the assignment, so keeping the force level at 6,000 over the course of a year could require up to 156,000 troops.

Still, Mr. Bush insisted, "The United States is not going to militarize the southern border."

CBS News correspondent Bob Fuss reports the president's speech was timed to try to get an immigration bill through Congress as the Senate resumes debate on a measure to allow most illegal immigrants to stay. The rare televised, prime-time Oval Office address signified the high stakes for Mr. Bush, who has been asking for immigration overhaul since his the 2000 campaign.

Mr. Bush said the National Guard troops would fill in temporarily while the nation's Border Patrol force is expanded. He asked Congress to add 6,000 more Border Patrol agents by the end of his presidency and to add 6,700 more beds to detain illegal immigrants while they are waiting for hearings to determine that they can be sent home.

The Border Patrol would still be responsible for catching and detaining illegal immigrants, with National Guard troops providing intelligence gathering, surveillance and other administrative support. Yet the National Guard troops would still be armed and authorized to use force to protect themselves, said Bush homeland security adviser Fran Townsend.

They are to come from the four border states — California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas — but those states' governors may also seek Guard troops from other states.

Some governors along the border expressed concerns that Mr. Bush's plan would overextend troops who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan.

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Republican, said troops might provide short-term relief, but he does not believe border protection is an appropriate role for the National Guard.

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