TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Government officials are showing off a site where National Guard troops have been deployed near the Mexican border, despite criticism that they will do nothing to stem the tide of illegal immigration.
The first of the troops began their mission on Aug. 30, and no member of the media has been allowed to see firsthand what they’re doing.
But Border Patrol agents are set to take reporters to one of the several sites Friday afternoon where the troops are acting as “extra eyes and ears.”
The troops have no arrest power, and the guns they carry are only for self-defense. Their mission is to remain at “strategic locations” and look for and report any suspected illegal immigrants to the Border Patrol, whose agents make the arrest.
The troops are part of President Barack Obama’s plan to beef up border security by stationing 1,200 National Guard troops along the border from California to Texas.
