By KRWG News
New Mexico – The New Mexico National Guard is planning how to put more troops along the state's border with Mexico to beef up surveillance after Gov. Bill Richardson on Wednesday ordered guardsmen to patrol the border.
The order came days after an Arizona rancher was shot to death. Authorities believe he was killed by an illegal immigrant who fled to Mexico.
Details are still being worked out for how many troops will be sent to the border and where they will be based.
A spokesman for the Guard, Lt. Col. Jamison Herrera, says the timeframe and scope of the work will determine how many soldiers will be activated.
Herrera says the Guard's focus will be observation posts and using infrared tools that can detect body heat and movement during nighttime hours.
Copyright 2010 The Associated Press.