U.S. border funds highlight Bush security budget

By Randall Mikkelsen and James Vicini

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Bush administration proposed new spending of more than $2 billion to tighten U.S. borders with fencing along the frontier with Mexico and add patrol agents and more beds for detained illegal immigrants.

"A major priority of our president, and this department, and the American people is getting control of our borders," U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said in briefing reporters on his department's budget request to Congress for fiscal 2009. The budget year began on October 1.

U.S. President George W. Bush proposed raising the department's budget by 6.8 percent to $50.5 billion. The 5-year-old department was created after the September 11 attacks to oversee domestic security and disaster response, and has struggled to integrate the 22 agencies put under its umbrella.

Democrats accused the administration of trying to slash $2 billion in spending for state and local programs and aid to firefighters, even as it raised spending for other areas. "It's impossible to secure our nation without securing our communities first," said U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, chairman of the House of Representatives Homeland Security Committee.

Nearly one-fourth of the total budget request, or $12.14 billion, is spending for border security, up 19 percent from 2008. Illegal immigration has become a major issue in this year's presidential campaign, especially among Bush's fellow Republicans.

Major border initiatives include $442 million to hire 2,200 new border patrol agents, bringing the total to 20,000 by September 2009. Bush is also seeking $46 million to provide 1,000 more beds for illegal immigrants who are detained, bringing the total to 33,000.

The budget seeks $775 million to build more fencing along the southern border and install high-tech surveillance equipment and other infrastructure.

Chertoff said 287 miles of fencing had been built so far, with a goal of 670 miles by this year. That would run most of the length of the border from the Pacific Ocean to the New Mexico-Texas border, except for natural barriers, he said.

The entire U.S. border with Mexico is about 1,960 miles

long.

Other spending includes $3 billion for additional immigration enforcement and $100 million for an automated system to confirm the legality of new employees at the time of hiring.

Separately, the Justice Department requested a $100 million increase to bolster law enforcement efforts along the southwest border with Mexico in an effort to combat violent crime, gun smuggling, drug trafficking and illegal immigration.

The extra money would add 88 agents and 82 attorneys to prosecute criminals and immigration violators, officials said. In addition, they said the threat of terrorism existed when criminals regularly exploited gaps in homeland security.

Other Homeland Security budget requests would go to develop equipment to guard against the smuggling of nuclear devices or materials, to provide more protection for computer networks and tighten the verification of travel documents at U.S. airports.

The Justice Department requested an increase of more than $490 million for national security initiatives aimed at improving the ability to dismantle terrorist cells operating in the United States and overseas. The extra money, most of which would go to the FBI, would add 280 agents and 271 intelligence analysts, officials said.

(Editing by David Alexander and Peter Cooney)