BORDER FLOW IS BUSH PRIORITY

EL PASO - President Bush launched a four-day trip to Latin America with a
stopover here Thursday to underline the importance of international
commerce and border security.

The president told an enthusiastic crowd that it is vital that ports of
entry allow flow of traffic, and, at the same time, be secure enough to
"weed out those we don't want in our country - the terrorists, the coyotes,
the smugglers, those who prey on innocent life."

Bush announced that on Thursday he submitted an emergency $27 billion
appropriation request to Congress that includes $5 billion to enhance
security at the nation's airports and on the 2,000-mile-long border with
Mexico.

Since the Sept. 11 terror attacks on New York City and the Pentagon, the
U.S. Customs Service has maintained its highest level of alert at the
nation's ports of entry. As a result, crossing times at the international
bridges between El Paso and Ciudad Juarez have slowed to as long as 90
minutes or more.

Bush also announced that his administration had reached a 22-point border
agreement with Mexico much like the one Homeland Security Director Tom
Ridge signed with Canada in December.

The U.S.-Mexico agreement to be signed in Monterrey today is designed to
tighten border security while preventing traffic jams and trade problems.

The agreement calls for a joint survey of infrastructure to identify
potential bottlenecks and weaknesses that put security at risk, to develop
high-tech systems to speed the flow of travelers, to create a joint
U.S.-Mexico "advanced passenger information exchange system" to weed out
smugglers and to develop faster means of exchanging customs data.

"I want this border to be modern," Bush said. "I want it to have the very
best technology. I don't want it to be neglected."

For many of the roughly 5,000 people who crammed into a hangar on the edge
of the airport, the visit had the air of a campaign rally and at the same
time a chance to touch history.

As Air Force One touched down at 11:15 a.m., parents hoisted their children
onto their shoulders and those standing rose on tiptoes to catch a glimpse
of the president and first lady Laura Bush.

"There it is, honey," said 37-year-old Guillermo Aguirre, who lifted his
daughter, 12-year-old Melissa, on his shoulder to see the taxiing jet.

"It's awesome," said Melissa.

The president was accompanied by Ridge and Secretary of State Colin Powell.

Bush was on his way Thursday afternoon to Monterrey, Mexico, where he was
to visit with Mexican President Vicente Fox. From Mexico, he will travel to
Lima, Peru, and San Salvador, El Salvador.

The president told El Pasoans that he wanted to highlight the importance of
the U.S. partnership with Mexico and border security.

"A strong and prosperous Mexico is good for America," Bush told the
cheering crowd.

Slipping briefly into Spanish, Bush added: "The best foreign policy is a
policy that insists that our own neighborhood be prosperous and peaceful
and democratic. Mexico is an incredibly important part of the futuro de los
Estados Unidos."

After the airport talk, Bush visited the Bridge of the Americas to view a
demonstration of a cargo X-ray system designed to speed up commercial
vehicle inspections.

Many of those in the enthusiastic, flag-waving crowd that greeted Bush
received tickets for the event from Republican headquarters in El Paso and
Las Cruces. More than 300 troops from Fort Bliss filled out the crowd.

Bush did not win El Paso County in the 2000 election - Vice President Al
Gore took 58 percent of the vote - but he was a hot ticket Thursday. El
Pasoan Cheri Eastwood said she waited seven hours to get a ticket at
Republican headquarters in El Paso.

El Pasoan Bertha Martin, who said she did not vote for Bush in 2000, said
she wanted to glimpse history.

"I'm 60 years old and I've never seen a president," Martin said. "And I
wanted to see a president."

The Associated Press contributed to this story.