California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is sending 224 California National Guard forces to the California-Mexico border in October, [the AP](http://cbs2.com/local/National.Guard.Border.2.1809495.html) reported Friday afternoon. According to the AP the plan was initiated at President Obama’s request, and the troops will be sent to bolster the military presence at the border for at least one year. In late May, Obama announced he’ll also be sending [1,200 National Guard and an extra $500 million](https://colorlines.com/archives/2010/05/obama_will_send_1200_troops_to_the_border.html) to the border. President Obama has said that the increased troops will help police drug trafficking and migration from Mexico to the United States. The Democrats [political strategy under Obama](/archives/2010/07/obama_on_immigration.html) has been to first emphasize its border security bona fides, with the idea that doing so will somehow open space for broader reforms. Schwarzenegger said [in a statement](http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2010/07/schwarzenegger-orders-national.html#ixzz0u9OeGLOc):

The 224 additional troops that will be sent to California will provide much needed assistance to help secure our border, but this is only a beginning. We must find a more permanent solution to our broken immigration system. I will continue to urge the federal government to provide more National Guard personnel for our border and take action on comprehensive immigration reform.

Schwarzenegger added that the California National Guard troops will not aid in direct law enforcement, and the deployment will end June of 2011. The last time Schwarzenegger sent California troops to the border was in 2006. The militarization of the California border hasn’t gone without controversy. Still no word from the Beltway on when those broader, non-enforcement fixes are coming. EDINBURG, TX – MAY 28: Border Patrol agents retake their oaths during a ceremony at the sector headquarters celebrating the 86th anniversary of the founding of the Border Patrol on May 28, 2010 near Edinburg, Texas. During the 2009 fiscal year 540,865 undocumented immigrants were apprehended entering the United States along the Mexican border. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)