Homeland Security would get boost under Obama budget

President Obama's fiscal 2010 budget request for the Homeland Security Department will boost funding for technology and border agents along the southwest border, as well as to find and deport criminal illegal immigrants inside the country.

It represents a shift away from some of the most controversial efforts under the Bush administration, such as building fencing and barriers along the border and going after undocumented workers who pose no criminal or national security threat.

Nearly $200 million would be allocated for Immigration and Customs Enforcement to conduct enforcement actions against criminal illegal immigrants -- a 30 percent increase over current levels.

About $70 million would be provided to hire about 350 new special agents and criminal investigators to establish a new border violence intelligence group and improve coordination efforts with the Mexican government.

"There are a couple of things we are going to have a prayer meeting about, but I think basically it's a good budget," said House Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman David Price, D-N.C. "We are going to examine it in detail and talk about it with all of our colleagues."

The budget doubles funding to stop illicit cash and firearms from being smuggled from the United States to Mexican drug cartels. Nearly $50 million would be used to hire 44 more Border Patrol agents and 65 Customs and Border Protection officers for the effort.

Additionally, the administration is seeking $112 million -- or a 12 percent increase over current spending -- for the so-called E-Verify program, which employers can use to verify the legal status of their workers.

Immigration reform advocates hailed the new measures Wednesday, saying they prove the administration will be tough on border security, which they say is prerequisite for Congress to pass legislation that gives about 12 million illegal immigrants in the country a path to legally work in the country.

And the budget proposes to increase funding for the Transportation Security Administration by 12 percent over current levels to $7.5 billion. About $1 billion of that would be used to buy new scanning machines at airports.

Humberto Sanchez contributed to this report.