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DOUGLAS - The news of National Guard troops and additional border patrol agents coming to Arizona is a sign that Washington is finally listening.

That's what Gary Thrasher, a veterinarian and rancher in Cochise County is saying.

"I think it's a start of what's needed; I certainly don't think it's enough to do the job," he says.

Thrasher knows first-hand about the problems along the border. He's been speaking out about border security for years. He believes the murder of his good friend and neighbor may have prompted Washington to take notice.

"Rob Krentz was kind of a pivotal moment," Thrasher says. "It really is."

Krentz was murdered last March while working on his ranch. It's believed an illegal border crosser may have killed him. Investigators found footprints from the scene leading back into Mexico.
Thrasher says he's hoping the visibility of the troops will keep people from coming into the U-S illegally.

"I want a deterrent more than I want to catch a lot of people," he says. "I would really be happy if they didn't catch anyone and deterred everybody from coming. That's really what I'm looking for and that's what the border needs. It needs a deterrent."

In addition to the National Guard troops, the Tucson sector here will be getting 300 more border patrol agents and inspectors. Statewide, there will be six aircraft and more high-tech equipment sent in an effort to secure the border.

"I would love to see it like it was 20 years ago," says Bill Thompson, who lives and works in Cochise County.

"It's just a spit in the bucket on what they are sending over here," he says. "It would be nice to walk in this country and come through it as we please and be safe."

So while they feel the troops and the added agents aren't enough, they say it's a step in the right direction.