Related: US, Mexico agree on holistic solution to immigration issue

A US Border Patrol agent looks at the Rio Grande river with Mexico on the left and the US on the right, Texas May 2, 2006. (Reuters)

    WASHINGTON, May 15 (Xinhua) -- Seeking a balanced position in the controversial immigration debate, U.S. President George W. Bush on Monday announced the deployment of 6,000 troops in the border while touting his guest-worker plan.

    In an expected move, Bush told the nation in a televised night address from the Oval Office that he will send 6,000 National Guard troops to the porous 3,400-km border with Mexico to stop illegal immigration.

    Acknowledging that "for decades, the United States has not been in complete control of its borders," Bush said he is "determined to change that."

    Addressing concerns from the Mexican side, Bush stressed that the deployment does not mean he is going to "militarize the southern border." "Mexico is our neighbor and our friend," he added.

    White House officials said earlier that the deployment is likely to begin in early June on a rotating basis.

    The Guard troops will be reduced by the end of 2008 when U.S. Border Patrol agents increase their numbers by 6,000 to 18,000 by then.

    While vowing to impose tougher border control measures, Bush said he is not going to round up the estimated 1,200 million illegal immigrants who are already within the country and drive them out.

    "To secure the border effectively, we must reduce the numbers of people trying to sneak across. Therefore, I support a temporary worker program that would create a legal path for foreign workers to enter our country in an orderly way for a limited period of time," he said.

    Bush noted that the guest-worker plan will "meet the needs of our economy, and it would give honest immigrants a way to provide for their families while respecting the law."

    The address was made just hours after the Senate resumed debate on a proposed bill, which plans to couple tougher border enforcement with a temporary guest-worker plan and create a mechanism for many of the roughly 12 million illegal immigrants in the country to legalize their status.

    The proposed bill, though echoing Bush's ideas, has met fierce resistance among the president's conservative Republican allies, who support an earlier bill passed by the House last December which will make all illegal immigrants criminals.

    With strong opposition from the conservative Republicans in the Senate, the proposed bill is unlikely to get a quick pass.

    Bush's announcement of deploying National Guard troops to the border was therefore seen as a move aimed to appease his conservative allies.

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