Bush sends 'weekend warriors' to Mexican border

President George Bush is to send as many as 6,000 National Guard troops to the US border with Mexico to help stop the flood of illegal immigrants.

The US Senate is delving into contentious immigration legislation after a televised prod from President George Bush to toughen border security with National Guard troops and find a “rational middle ground” on citizenship for millions of men and women in the United States illegally.

The centrepiece of Bush’s speech last night was his announcement that as many as 6,000 National Guard troops would be dispatched to states along the Mexican border to provide intelligence and surveillance support to civilian Border Patrol agents. The Border Patrol would remain responsible for catching and detaining illegal immigrants.