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Beginning the border fence

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

June 6, 2006

SAN LUIS, Ariz. - Military bulldozers, road graders and other heavy equipment rumbled along the Mexican border early yesterday as more than 50 National Guardsmen from Utah became the first unit to get to work under President George W. Bush's crackdown on illegal immigration.

The soldiers with the 116th Construction Support Equipment Company will hit 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, unit commander. The goal is to strengthen the border and free up border agents to catch undocumented immigrants. The guardsmen are unarmed and wearing hardhats instead of Kevlar helmets. They will not perform 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 desert's triple-digit heat.

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.

The Utah unit is working in San Luis, 25 miles south of Yuma, home of the nation's busiest Border Patrol station. Two sets of barriers run along the border: a 12-foot corrugated-metal fence and, about 50 yards to the north, an 8-foot chain-link fence topped with barbed wire.

Most of the 11 soldiers assigned to operate the heavy equipment have full-time jobs in the construction business and would normally be pulling two weeks of training duty at this time of year anyway.

In San Luis, some residents were pleased. Raymond Ruiz, a clerk at Charles and Frank Auto Parts, said the response was long overdue. "I think we need it, because besides illegal people coming across, I know there's drugs and you never know, maybe some terrorists one of these days," Ruiz said.