Alaska to send National Guard troops along US-Mexico border

JUNEAU, Alaska — Alaska will send 10 National Guard members for aerial patrol operations along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy said the state will send the soldiers from an aviation unit for a six-month deployment beginning April 1.

Dunleavy's office says the soldiers will focus efforts in Arizona, near the border. The deployment comes following a request for volunteers through the National Guard Bureau.

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Alaska governor offers use of National Guard troops along US-Mexico border

Alaska is about 3,000 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border, but the state’s new Republican governor is offering President Donald Trump the use of the Alaska National Guard to patrol it, the Anchorage Daily News reports.

The soldiers will include helicopter pilots, crew chiefs, aircraft maintenance and support personnel. They will fly and maintain aircraft in Arizona brought in by Guard units in other states.

Dunleavy previously offered President Donald Trump the use of the Alaska National Guard to patrol the border.

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Here are the units now deployed to the US-Mexico border

About 6,000 total military personnel are deployed in support of border operations.

By Tara Copp, AP

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