Senators demand Guard troops on border

Arizona’s two senators on Monday said violence has skyrocketed on the U.S.-Mexico border, and called on President Obama to deploy National Guard troops, finish building 700 miles of fence and add 3,000 new Border Patrol agents to the region by 2015.

Sens. John McCain and Jon Kyl, both Republicans, said the National Guard deployment — which they said was effective four years ago when President George W. Bush ordered a similar deployment — should last until the governor of Arizona certifies the government has operational control of the border.

“The situation has spiraled out of control,” Mr. McCain said. Of those caught crossing the border illegally, he said, 17 percent are found to have committed crimes in Arizona previously.

The two senators released a 10-point plan for regaining control and trying to reduce the flow of people.

The call comes several weeks after a rancher in Arizona who lived near the border was killed, apparently by a member of a drug cartel. The rancher repeatedly had complained about the flow of illegal immigrants and smugglers across his ranch.