NYT: Guard Troops Set to Begin Mission on Mexican Border

[DeepModem Mom]

Guard Troops Set to Begin Mission on Mexican Border
By RANDAL C. ARCHIBOLD
Published: June 18, 2006

SAN LUIS, Ariz., June 16 — The first National Guard troops ordered to the United States-Mexico border as part of President Bush's plan to improve security have arrived in the four border states and are expected to begin work by Sunday.

"The Jump Start operation has begun," Mario Martinez, a Border Patrol spokesman in Washington, said Friday, using the Guard's name for the border mission. "They are being issued orders and are being processed and trained."

Most of the troops arrived by Thursday to prepare for their assignments, which will include monitoring surveillance cameras and sensors, building roads, putting fencing along the border and other tasks that will free up regular Border Patrol agents to police the 2,000-mile divide between Mexico and California, Arizona, Texas and New Mexico....

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Border Patrol and Guard spokesmen said Friday that the first group of Guard members would number about 800. By August, up to 6,000 Guard members are to be assigned to the border mission. Next year, that number is to drop to 3,000 as more Border Patrol agents are hired.

Most of the Guard members will be unarmed unless they are in a hazardous area. Much of their time will be spent in Border Patrol offices watching monitors and handling other equipment, while those in the field will alert Border Patrol agents if they see someone crossing the border illegally....

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/18/us/18guard.html?_r=1&oref=login