Thread: AZ: Border agents filling up old mining town of Ajo

Published: 04.16.2007
Border agents filling up old mining town of Ajo
The Associated Press

The federal government's push for better security along the U.S.-Mexican border has pumped new life into this one-time mining town.
Most of the more than 200 Border Patrol agents who now work in Ajo have moved to town. About 100 more agents are on the way.
Those recent arrivals are in addition to the National Guard members who have rotated through since President Bush last May announced a border enforcement initiative.
This seasonal retiree haven, which saw its copper mine close nearly 25 years ago, now finds its economy humming year-round. More customers shop at the stores. More businesses stay open for the summer than in years past. Finding a house to rent is difficult.
When U.S. Border Patrol Agent Bill Martin moved to Ajo more than a decade ago, fewer than 25 agents worked in town. "We're giving the town a year-round clientele," he said.
The increased presence at the border has triggered an economic burst across much of southern Arizona.
The tours of National Guard troops who are assisting the Border Patrol in Arizona pump millions of dollars into local economies that normally lull during the hot summer months.
The influx also has led to a housing crunch. Some agents have little choice but to live in places such as Maricopa or Buckeye and make the long commute.
In Ajo, the federal government is considering how to build its own housing for agents, said Border Patrol spokesman Sean King.
Although some of Ajo's housing stock was built in the 1970s and 1980s, other residences were built for miners during the last century and measure about the size of a large one-bedroom apartment.
Housing is especially hard to find during the winter when retirees return and the population rises from about 4,000 to 6,000.

http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/daily/local/48426.php

But...I thought getting the illegals out of the country would ruin our economy???