http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/border/132543

Published: 06.07.2006

Governor calls Guard's work at border part of 'deterrent'
By Arthur H. Rotstein
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

SAN LUIS — A day after a Utah National Guard unit began engineering work along the Mexican border, Democratic Gov. Janet Napolitano came down to thank them for their presence.

The governor shook hands with virtually every one of the more than 50 guardsmen from the 116th Construction Support Equipment Company near their work site in San Luis.

"I told them thank you for taking the time and coming down here," Napolitano said. "Many of these men and women had done the same work in Iraq last year."

The governor also noted that many in the unit are professional contractors or tradesmen.

"A lot of them are engineers, with a lot of expertise, and they should be able to make a lot of progress," Napolitano said.

The governor's visit came on the same day she vetoed a sweeping immigration bill that she called "crummy." The move incensed Republicans, including an opponent hoping to defeat her in November.
"No matter how many border photo ops she produces in this election year, today's veto proves once again she is not serious about halting illegal immigration," said Len Munsil, a Republican gubernatorial candidate.

President Bush plans to send 6,000 guardsmen to the border with Mexico to help the U.S. Border Patrol for up to two years. The 55 soldiers in the Utah Guard unit will improve a dirt road running parallel along the border, fill in gaps in fortified fencing and run wiring for new lighting to be installed later to help the Border Patrol spot illegal immigrants trying to come across.

Napolitano said hundreds of Arizona Guard members have volunteered to deploy to the border, and the first local troops are expected around June 15.

The work that's being done "will be a deterrent" to illegal immigrants, she said.

"It will help drive or direct illegal immigrant traffic to an area where it can be more easily detected and picked up," Napolitano added. "So it's all part of the toolbox of things you need. You need fences, you need lights, you need ground radar, you need manpower. Unmanned aerial vehicles are also a great deterrent."

But Napolitano said part of the equation includes the need for Congress "to act on fundamental and thorough immigration reform …."
The governor noted that more than 500,000 immigrant apprehensions were made in the state last year.

"We need to secure the border between the ports, but I think Arizonans recognize that alone will not solve the immigration issue," Napolitano said. "We've got to deal with the labor issues as well."
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