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National Guard outlines cost of border stations

Matthew Benson
The Arizona Republic
Feb. 24, 2006 12:00 AM

More than $32,000 a day.

That's what it would cost - $32,100, to be exact - for Gov. Janet Napolitano to station 100 of the state's National Guard troops on the border. Arizona National Guard officials presented that figure Thursday to a legislative panel considering the feasibility of using the military to secure the border.

Napolitano is said to be considering the issue.

In August, she joined fellow Democratic Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico in declaring an emergency along the border.

More recently, Napolitano kicked off the legislative session with a State of the State address that asserted her willingness to station guardsmen on the border if the federal government will pick up the tab.

Maj. Gen. David Rataczak of the Arizona National Guard told lawmakers Thursday that those negotiations between the Governor's Office and Department of Defense are continuing.

Even if the feds won't pony up, Rep. John Allen, R-Scottsdale, suggested the state would see a savings in illegal immigration costs by funding the operation. Members of the House Select Committee on Government Operations, Performance and Waste heard testimony from ranchers and others who described a border in chaos with drug running, human smuggling and a continual flow of people across their properties.

Roger Barnett, who has a 22,000-acre ranch near the border in Cochise County, showed legislators pictures of bodies and marijuana bales.

He's found both on his property.

"We're getting run over," he said. "Our lives are jeopardized."

What to do about it is the question. Rep. Steve Gallardo, D-Phoenix, said he's not sure the National Guard is the answer. At least not yet.

"We have to do what we can to secure the border," he said. "But I think we have to address a lot of questions before we move to actually put the National Guard out there."

There are 10 to 50 guardsmen on the border on any given day, Rataczak said.

But they're used mostly for surveillance and other activities. They aren't actively involved in apprehending border-crossers.

There are roughly 6,500 guardsmen in Arizona who are available for border duty, Rataczak said. But he questioned what role they would have and noted that the militarization of the border could spur immigrants to take up arms and could lead to gunbattles.

"What do you want 'em to do?" he said, adding that most guardsmen aren't trained for this style of border enforcement. "It would put our people in some really serious, significant decisions."

Allen countered that military personnel enforce borders all over the world, including those stationed in Iraq. But Rataczak said the comparison is inaccurate.

"We're not at war with Mexico," he said. "They're our neighbors and friends."

Reach the reporter at matt .benson@arizonarepublic.com or (602) 444-4947.