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Opinion: In her own words: Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer on Obama’s National Guard border troop decision

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Obama administration officials said Tuesday the Democrat would seek $500 million extra to dispatch 1,200 National Guardsman to assist with security operations on the U.S.-Mexico border.

Republicans immediately said they would offer an amendment to quadruple that sum and send 6,000 Guardsmen. Obama aides called the GOP idea ‘unwarranted interference’ with Obama’s role as commander in chief.

Meanwhile, Arizona Republican Gov. Jan Brewer issued a seemingly skeptical statement in response to the president’s decision, including mention of the millions still owed Arizona by the federal government. It appears below here in its entirety. A catalog of recent Ticket items on this ongoing controversy appears below the governor’s statements.

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Statement by Gov. Jan Brewer, as provided by her office

Today’s media reports represent a very significant and important shift in the President’s immigration and border security policy. My signing of Senate Bill 1070 has clearly ignited the talk of action in Washington for the people of Arizona and other border states. I am pleased that President Obama has now, apparently, agreed that our nation must secure the border to address rampant border violence and illegal immigration without other pre-conditions, such as passage of “comprehensive immigration reform”. Shortly after taking office, in March of 2009 and repeatedly since then, I requested that the federal government increase National Guard troops on Arizona’s border. I have not received an appropriate response to my numerous requests until today. Furthermore, with over $750 million in unreimbursed incarceration expenses owed by the federal government to the State of Arizona alone, I truly hope that previous federal commitments as well as these new commitments are fulfilled, maintained, and grown significantly as soon as possible. Success will be determined by facts on the ground, not on the size of unfulfilled promises or rhetorical flurries. I am anxious to hear of the details that have not yet been disclosed of where, how, and for how long additional forces will be deployed. With the accountability of this election year, I am pleased and grateful that at long last there has been a partial response from the Obama Administration to my demands that Washington do its job.

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-- Andrew Malcolm

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