More Border Patrol agents to be deployed to southern border

An additional 1,700 Border Patrol agents will be deployed to the nation's southwest border within the next year, the Homeland Security Department announced Wednesday.

Of the total, 643 agents will go to Arizona, 452 to Texas, 352 to California and 253 to New Mexico, according to the department.

"A key element of our new Secure Border Initiative is more Border Patrol boots on the ground in the most heavily trafficked areas of the southwest border," said DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff. "By increasing the number of agents on the frontlines of our border and giving them better infrastructure and technology to do their jobs, we will be able to greatly increase interdictions and create a strong deterrent to illegal crossings."

DHS is able to deploy the additional agents because Congress recently provided funding to hire 1,500 new agents. The department will beef up the southwest border using a combination of new agents and existing ones. The Border Patrol has launched a national hiring campaign and about 500 new agents are currently in training.

Chertoff last week outlined steps the department is taking to improve border security and to deter illegal immigration.

Along with more Border Patrol agents and technology, he said the department also is trying "to change the dynamic which brings people into this country to work on an illegal basis." That includes implementing a temporary guest worker program to give migrants seeking jobs a legal channel to enter the country.

"It's a simple matter of logic," Chertoff said. "If you're trying to dam a river, what you don't do is simply build a high dam, because the water keeps rising and the pressure keeps building. You try to build a channel for the water that's productive and that's regulated, so you can take some of the pressure off the dam."

Chertoff also vowed to end the practice of releasing into the United States migrants from countries other than Mexico who are captured near the border. The department has traditionally given non-Mexican migrants a notice to appear in court and released them if they do not have a felony record and are deemed to not pose a threat to national security. Most never show up for their court hearing.

"What we're going to do is we're going to move from 'catch-and-release' to 'catch-and-remove,' meaning that people who we catch at the border are not going to be released on bail; they are going to be held until they are removed back to their home countries," Chertoff said.

The department's efforts come on the heels of public and congressional pressure. Several border security and immigration reform proposals are moving through Congress.

House Republican leaders have pledged to pass a bill before Christmas. Senate leaders, however, say they are unlikely to put a bill up for vote until at least February.