CHICAGO, IL - U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky today released the following statement in advance of President Bush's primetime speech on immigration. According to news reports, President Bush planned to call for thousands of National Guard troops to be temporarily deployed to the U.S. - Mexico border:

"Today's speech by President Bush is about politics, not policy. The Republican Party is divided over how to address our nation's broken immigration system, and President Bush is suggesting a policy that would further divert National Guard troops without adequately funding or staffing our Border Patrol. Militarizing our border is President Bush's election season window dressing."

“President Bush has underfunded the Border Patrol and overstretched the National Guard by deploying more than 20,000 Guard troops in Iraq. There is an immediate need for additional National Guard troops to be deployed in the United States - to the Gulf Coast communities destroyed by last year's hurricanes and to states like Illinois which have been hit by a violent series of tornados.”

“I support a comprehensive immigration policy that includes border protection, not another punishment only approach using our over-extended National Guard in what the President admits will only be a short-term fix."

► Click here to read Jan's post in The Hill's Blog