WASHINGTON, May 15 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President George W. Bush will order few than 10,000 National Guard troops to the U.S.-Mexico border to support border patrol agents, a White House official confirmed Monday.

    Appearing on CBS' "The Early Show," White House counselor Dan Bartlett said Bush will outline the plan in a televised speech to the nation Monday night.

    But he said the troops-- about 3 percent of all National Guardsunits-- will not be involved in catching illegal immigrants, and the move does not mean "a militarization of the borders."

    Bartlett said the troops "will not have law enforcement responsibilities or powers. They will be there in a supportive role...it's about a constitutional responsibility to enforce our borders."

    Meanwhile, National Guard sources said although the troops willback up the federal border patrols, they will remain largely out of sight.

    The troops will also be under control of the four southern border states-- Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California-- thoughthe federal government will pay the bill of the deployment.

    Mexican President Vicente Fox said in a written statement Sunday that he has told Bush that he's worried about a U.S. move to "militarize" the roughly 3,400-km border.

    Bush's decision comes as conservative Republicans -- many of whom are running in November's midterm elections -- support new legislation aimed at imposing tougher penalties on illegal immigrants.

    The issue has prompted nationwide protests by hundreds of thousands of immigration supporters in recent months. Enditem