Napolitano Visits Mexico Border Near San Diego

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano is scheduled to meet with U.S. Coast Guard officials in San Diego today before visiting National Guard troops stationed along the U.S. and Mexico border.

Napolitano will be joined later in the day by U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Alan Bersin at a news conference at the San Ysidro Port of Entry to highlight the results of President Barack Obama’s deployment of additional personnel, technology and resources to the Southwest border, according to the DHS.

This summer, Obama called for the deployment of 1,200 National Guard troops along the Southwest border and Congress approved $600 million in related funding. The money was also used to pay for new un-manned aerial vehicles and communications equipment.

More than 220 soldiers were sent to help guard California’s border with Mexico.

The National Guard troops are assisting Border Patrol agents, watching from strategic remote sites and reporting any suspicious activity, according to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s office.