TUCSON, Ariz. – A National Guard helicopter aircrew participating in Operation Guardian Support landed near Papago Farms Friday night and deployed a team of Border Patrol agents who found and arrested four illegal aliens hiding in the desert.
Agents assigned to the Tucson Sector Mobile Response Team exited the UH-60 Blackhawk to search for a group of people suspected of entering the U.S. illegally. Agents from Casa Grande’s All-Terrain Vehicle unit and an Air and Marine Operations helicopter assisted in the search and apprehension.
The group, consisting of three Guatemalan men and a woman from Honduras, all between the ages of 19 and 38, were processed for immigration violations.
Operation Guardian Support allows National Guard soldiers to provide aerial support to the Border Patrol; whether it is surveillance using UH-72 Lakota aircraft or transporting agents in the UH-60 Blackhawk.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has a decades-long relationship working with the Department of Defense. The National Guard supports CBP with aerial detection, repairing border infrastructure and logistical support so that CBP resources can focus on enforcing immigration laws.