Press Advisory

Immigration and the State of the National Guard

Shortcomings and national security risks of sending National Guard troops to the U.S.-Mexican border

Washington, DC – The Center for American Progress will hold a conference call today, Monday, May 15, to illuminate issues surrounding President Bush’s scheduled address. Tonight, President Bush will outline “immigration reform proposals” during a live address on primetime television. President Bush is expected to unveil a controversial decision to deploy several thousand National Guard troops to assist the civilian Border Patrol along the U.S. – Mexican border. This maneuver will only increase the tremendous strains already facing the National Guard and the U.S. armed forces.

WHAT: Teleconference on

WHEN: Tuesday, September 26, 2006 at 11:00 AM EST

WHERE: By telephone. Dial 888-387-8686; Pass code: 7187200#

WHO: Lawrence J. Korb, Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress
Dan Restrepo,
Senior Policy Advisor at the Center for American Progress

Biographies:


Lawrence J. Korb
is a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress and a senior advisor to the Center for Defense Information. Prior to joining the Center, he served as assistant secretary of Defense (Manpower, Reserve Affairs, Installations and Logistics) from 1981 through 1985. Mr. Korb was a senior fellow and director of National Security Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. From July 1998 to October 2002, he was council vice president, director of Studies, and holder of the Maurice Greenberg Chair. Prior to joining the Council, Mr. Korb served as director of the Center for Public Policy Education and senior fellow in the Foreign Policy Studies Program at the Brookings Institution, dean of the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Pittsburgh and vice president of Corporate Operations at the Raytheon Company.

Dan Restrepo is a Senior Policy Advisor at the Center for American Progress. In his role, Dan is responsible for the Center’s work related to the United States and its place in and relationship with the rest of the Americas. Dan, a first-generation American of Colombian and Spanish parents, previously served as the Director of Congressional Affairs at the Center for American Progress. Prior to joining the Center, Dan spent three years as an associate at the law firm of Williams & Connolly LLP. Prior to that, Dan served as an attorney for the Florida Democratic Party during the 2000 election recount. From August through November 2000, he worked as the Research Director for the Florida Democratic Coordinated Campaign. From 1993 to 1996, Dan served on the Democratic staff of the House International Relations Committee. There he focused on all aspects of U.S. policy toward Latin America and the Caribbean, including U.S. policy toward Haiti during political transitions, U.S. counter-narcotics programs and policies, the consolidation of the Central American peace processes, U.S.-Cuba policy and the Mexican debt crisis, among other matters. During his tenure on the International Relations Committee staff, Dan also traveled extensively throughout the hemisphere, meeting with government officials, civil society leaders, and opposition party officials.