National Guard Border Duty Begins

First Troops, From Utah, Will Build Fences, Fix Roads, Install Lights

(CBS/AP)  More than 50 National Guard troops have arrived in Arizona to begin their new mission along the Mexican border, the first troops to deploy under President Bush's plan to crack down on illegal immigration.

The roughly 55 Utah National Guard members were expected Monday to begin extending fences, improving roads and working on border lighting near this city, located 25 miles south of Yuma, home of the nation's busiest U.S. Border Patrol station.

They will perform duties that will free up immigration agents, allowing them to focus on enforcement along the border. The Guard members are not expected to perform significant law enforcement duties.

The troops arrived in Yuma on Saturday and were briefed Sunday on their mission, the duties of the U.S. Border Patrol and given tips on staying hydrated in the triple-digit heat of the Arizona desert.

Under President Bush's plan, up to 6,000 National Guard members are to be sent to the four southern border states. Officials say 300 Guard soldiers from Arizona are expected to begin arriving at the state's border in mid-June.

However, as many debate new border controls, for millions of illegal immigrants in the U.S., sneaking across the border is something that never really happened.

They came across quite legally – with visas – but when those documents expired, they didn't go home as they were legally required to do.

Some are pointing to the little-acknowledged reality is that nearly half the estimated 12 million undocumented foreigners in the United States entered on bona fide U.S. visas - and simply never left. Authorities call them "overstays" who have been largely overlooked in the vitriolic debate on immigration.

"The southwestern border gets all the attention, but it's staggering the number of people who come and overstay their visa," said Dean Boyd, a spokesman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Washington. "It's a very large-scale problem."

A study by the Washington-based Pew Hispanic Center last month indicated that 45 percent of the undocumented migrants in the United States overstayed legal visas.

Confirming those findings or knowing the home country of those who overstay their visas is tricky because U.S. authorities don't track the problem. Immigration authorities also generally don't compare entry and exit information to see who should have left the country.

"There's no annual reports published on visa overstays because obviously these people are hiding and don't want to be found," Boyd said.

Ana Luisa certainly doesn't, so she asked that her last name not be used. The Mexico City native lives in Dallas with her husband, 13-year-old son and 5-month-old daughter - who was born in the United States and is an American citizen - and volunteers at a middle school.

When she moved to the United States, she made sure to return to Mexico every six months to renew her tourist visa. But the trip soon became a chore and she let her visa lapse a year ago. Now if she returns to Mexico again she likely won't be able to get another U.S. visa.

"I'm illegal, but I'm someone who is trying to help with my work," she said in a phone interview.

Ana Luisa said she would never have sneaked across the border to get into the United States, and didn't see the harm in overstaying her visa. In Dallas, she said, her son is able to get a better education than he would in Mexico.

"I wouldn't risk my life in the river or in the desert like thousands of others do," she said.