Guard reports to start work at Mexican border

The first of up to 6,000 Guardsmen have started to secure the border.
SAN LUIS, Ariz. (AP) -- Military bulldozers, road graders and other heavy equipment rumbled along the Mexican border early Monday as more than 50 National Guardsmen from Utah became the first unit to get to work under President Bush's crackdown on illegal immigration.
The soldiers with the 116th Construction Support Equipment Company will hit their work sites by 5:30 a.m. during their two weeks of duty. They will improve a dirt road running parallel to the border, fill in gaps in fortified fencing and run wiring for new lighting to help the Border Patrol spot illegal crossers.
"It's exciting to do something that's relevant to the safety of the United States," said Capt. Talon Greeff, the unit's commander. "There is a sense of excitement when you are doing something real-world."
The goal is to strengthen the border and free up border agents to catch illegal immigrants.
More civilian than military
The guardsmen are unarmed and wearing hardhats instead of Kevlar helmets -- "we do not want to appear as if we're militarizing the border," Greeff said. They will not perform any law enforcement duties.
The troops arrived in Yuma on Saturday and were briefed Sunday on their mission and given tips on how to survive the triple-digit heat of the Arizona desert.
Under Bush's plan, up to 6,000 National Guardsmen will be sent to the four southern border states. Officials say 300 Guardsmen from Arizona are expected to begin arriving at the state's border in mid-June.
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