Posted: May 19, 2011 6:36 PM
Updated: May 19, 2011 6:37 PM
TUCSON - The National Guard confirms that some of the guardsmen assigned to the Arizona/Mexico border will complete their assignment this weekend and will be leaving.
For operational security purposes, Captain Valentine Castillo with the National Guard would not confirm where the guardsmen were being withdrawn from, or how many are being pulled.
Captain Castillo says that much like getting the guardsmen to the border was a "ramp-up" procedure, they will be drawn down from the border gradually.
Until they hear otherwise, the National Guard's plan is to continue to draw down guardsmen at the border until the end of the operation, June 30 2011.
Although the Department of Homeland Security has publicly stated they would like to keep guardsmen at the border through September 30, no action has been taken to ensure this yet.
About 1,200 guardsmen have been at the border since the operation began in October of last year. Senators McCain and Kyl have released a border security proposal requesting that as many as 3,000 National Guard soldiers be placed along the border.
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