Governor praises National Guard troops during border visit

By Janine Zúñiga, UNION-TRIBUNE
Wednesday, August 18, 2010 at 4:14 p.m.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger toured a hot and dusty U.S.-Mexico border Wednesday as he welcomed the support of the California National Guard, whose members are preparing to begin their mission of reinforcing border security.

The first of 224 National Guard soldiers have been trained and will within days begin aiding Border Patrol agents mostly with observational duties, officials said. The effort is part of President Barack Obama’s directive to support federal efforts to combat drug smugglers and undocumented immigrants.

Flanked atop Arnie’s Point in Otay Mesa by officials for the National Guard, Border Patrol and California Emergency Management Agency, Schwarzenegger praised Obama’s action. After taking a brief tour along a recently reinforced border fence, the governor described the area as challenging and said he wants to be part of the solution.

“We here in California are ready to help in any way possible,â€