Members of Arizona National Guard to head to the border on Friday
PHOENIX (AP) - The adjutant general of the Arizona National Guard says 60 troops will be sent on Friday to the border town of Nogales to take part in President Donald Trump's military deployment plan to fight illegal immigration and drug trafficking.
Maj. Gen. Michael McGuire said Wednesday that that they will perform ground-based missions but did not provide more details.
He says another 112 of the 338 troops that Arizona has committed to Trump's operation will provide border air support, such as flying helicopters, from a base in the town of Marana near Tucson.
McGuire says other troops who are deployed will have tasks in engineering, transportation, surveillance and communications.
He says none of the troops who are being deployed are required to carry guns but that they can do so if they feel the need to protect themselves.