Obama signs $600 million border security bill

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama on Friday signed a $600 million (£384.6 million) bill to beef up security on the border with Mexico, and his aides pressed lawmakers to set aside election-year politics and work towards broader immigration reform.

With illegal immigration seen as a key issue in the November congressional elections, the administration touted the border enforcement plan as laying the groundwork for a revived effort to overhaul the U.S. immigration system.

Congress passed the measure this week and sent it to Obama, who sought the extra funding amid complaints from southwestern states that government was failing to seal the border from illegal immigrants and drug traffickers.

But lawmakers have been reluctant to push ahead on the hot-button issue of immigration reform, and no serious progress is likely until after the mid-term ballot.

Obama's aides insisted the president remained committed to revamping what he has called a broken immigration system and challenged Democrats and Republicans to show leadership.

"They will need to address this in a bipartisan way," Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano told reporters at the White House. "It cannot only be done by Democrats. The Republicans need to come to the table."

But mindful of the political climate, administration officials set no timetable for breaking the deadlock.

Obama has called for comprehensive reform that includes not only better border security but a pathway to citizenship for millions of illegal immigrants. Republican critics support a tighter border but say citizenship proposals would amount to an amnesty for lawbreakers.

MORE BORDER PATROL AGENTS

The new $600 million will fund some 1,500 new border patrol agents, customs inspectors and other law enforcement officials along the border, as well as two more unmanned aerial "drones" to monitor border activities.

Congress' speedy approval of the measure marked a rare display of bipartisanship.

Democratic Senator Charles Schumer hope the bill's passage would help break the stalemate over broader immigration reform. Obama, in a statement issued on Thursday, said he wanted to continue working towards that goal.

There are believed to be about 11 million illegal immigrants in the United States. But immigration advocates say Republicans have inflated concerns about them to put Democrats on the defensive ahead of the November 2 congressional elections.

With the measure's passage, members of Congress running for re-election will be able to spend the next several weeks boasting that they acted to reinforce the border.

Officials in southwestern states have asked for more help from the federal government to stem the flow of illegal immigrants, weapons and narcotics. Obama already has ordered more National Guard troops to the border for a year.

A federal judge last month blocked key parts of an Arizona law that sought to drive illegal immigrants out of the state, handing a victory to the administration, which argued the measure was unconstitutional.

(Editing by Alan Elsner)

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