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Jul 14, 3:50 PM EDT

Guard will meet border deadline

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Army National Guard will meet its Aug. 1 deadline for deploying troops to help along the Mexican border, the Guard chief said Friday.

Lt. Gen. Steven Blum said about 3,600 soldiers are in the Southwest border states of California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas.

"That number will grow to up to 6,000 by the first of August, as promised," he told a Pentagon news conference.

The deployments are part of an immigration plan announced by President Bush in mid-May. Troops are helping with aerial reconnaissance and in shoring up infrastructure like roads and sensors. That is designed to free immigration agents to focus on law enforcement.

Blum said he spoke to correct reports that the Guardsmen were not arriving on time.

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