See number 55. There wont be 6K soldiers on the border.
Not at once.
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Thanks to the presence of more than 4,500 National Guard soldiers and airmen, about 250 U.S. Customs and Border Protection Border Patrol are back patrolling the U.S.-Mexico border, officials said July 25.
The troops are serving in the four southwest border states California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas as part of a two-year mission dubbed Operation Jump Start. The program, ordered by President Bush as part of a sweeping plan for immigration reform, calls for up to 6,000 Guard troops on the border by Aug. 1 to boost the Border Patrol while the civilian agency hires and trains more agents.
The National Guards part in this is to provide military support to civilian law enforcement, said Lt. Gen. H. Steven Blum, chief of the National Guard Bureau. Were replacing them so [the Border Patrol] can get badges back on the border.
The Guard troops are building roads and fences and conducting surveillance.
Probably the biggest things that we bring are the additional eyes and ears, Blum said.
National Guard -