On August 13, 2010, US President Barack Obama signed legislation designed to increase security along the US-Mexico border. HR 6080 allocated an additional $600 million toward hiring 1,000 new Border Patrol agents and 200 special agents, building two new border control stations and buying more surveillance tools, including unmanned aircraft drones. The House of Representatives approved the bill earlier that week. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano praised the bipartisan effort in passing the bill and explained the long-term goals of the act as "add[ing] permanent resources that will continue to bolster security along the Southwest border, supporting our efforts to crack down on transnational criminal organizations, and reduce the trafficking of people, drugs, currency and weapons." She added that the act was the first step in a large-scale immigration reform project that would continue over the next few years.



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