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Border beefed up by Operation Guardian

Posted: Aug 5, 2009 12:58 AM
Updated: Aug 5, 2009 12:58 AM

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American soil with the highest level of border threats is right here, right now. That's according to Border Patrol's Tucson Sector, which is temporarily getting extra agents to help.

It's all part of Operation Guardian, meant to better secure the Arizona border. The agents, coming from sectors across the country, will help protect the border, but also with search and rescue.

"This sector accounts, still, for the highest level of drug seizures, 47 percent, and illegal immigrant apprehension, 45 percent, well dwarfing any other sector," said U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords.

She met with agents Tuesday to recognize such a tough task and to bring attention to the dangers they face.

"Assaults against Border Patrol agents have increased by 29 percent over the past year," Giffords said.

And during these summer months, the agency says border traffic picks up, which is why, for the next two months, 229 agents from other sectors will be temporarily helping out.

"We're grateful for those resources coming in," said Border Patrol's Tucson Sector Chief Robert Gilbert. "We'll put them to good use."

The agents will protect an area as far west as the Yuma County line.

"That's the area that we have the least amount of infrastructure, we have the least amount of technology," Gilbert said.

More boots on the ground are expected to help ease threats, at least for now.

"And with our workforce, and we have a large workforce, but we still don't have enough to do everything," said Gilbert.

Drug trafficking might be the biggest reason for more boots on the ground. In the past 10 months, agents in the Tucson Sector seized over a million pounds of marijuana. That's the most ever seized along the Mexico border.

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