More than 1,200 members of the National Guard from Arizona, New Mexico, Maryland and Ohio are deployed along the border in Arizona, most near Nogales. Their mission, Operation Jumpstart, includes watching and guarding the border for five or six miles east and west of the Mariposa Port of Entry in Nogales.
Some members are assigned to hilltop sentry posts and others are engineers who work on road construction. In the past two years, Army engineers have created an easier route for Border Patrol agents along the border, enabling them to easier reach crossers detected by cameras and listening devices.
Ohio National Guard member Master Sgt. Thomas Cullen, 47, said in addition to changing the terrain along the border, Guard members have tried to "find out a little about the culture, too." Cullen, of Port Clinton, Ohio, said he has taken a liking to Mexican food and he and his fellow Guard members enjoy dining at restaurants in Nogales and Tucson.
"We come in here and in two weeks we have accomplished a lot," Cullen said. "We do a lot of excavation and rearranging of the terrain so it is easier for the Border Patrol to travel."