Gov. Bill Richardson released today details of the National Guard deployment to the New Mexico border ordered by President Bush.
Richardson spoke with Lieutenant General Steven Blum, head of the National Guard, according to a news release. Here are the details the governor released:
On June 1, 50 members of the New Mexico National Guard will be deployed to the border to handle planning and logistics for the overall Guard operation in the state. In mid-June, those troops will be joined by an additional 100 Guard troops that Richardson previously directed perform a regular training mission along the border in a similar support effort.
This will be followed by an additional 50 troops per month through September.
When this mission is fully operational, the total number of Guard troops stationed along the border in New Mexico will be approximately 200. This is in addition to the 68 troops already on the border who are performing various missions in support of border security.
Additional Guard troops from other states will be available to augment local troops if necessary.
These troops will remain under the command and control of the governor of each state.
The federal government will cover all of the costs of this mission up-front.
The deployment is expected to be phased out within two years as the Border Patrol brings new agents on line, according to the news release.