The U.S. National Guard force recently deployed on the border with Mexico would carry guns for personal protection but would not take part in action against illegal immigrants, U.S. Border Patrol chief David Aguilar said on Friday.

The troops would carry guns because "the frontier region is complicated and dangerous" place frequented by drug smugglers and other criminals, he told reporters covering a conference call, but he emphasized that those soldiers "will not get involved in police action to arrest individuals trying to enter the United States illegally."

The troops would help the patrol with logistics such as building roads, driving vehicles, flying aircraft and operating the sensors that find people in the desert," he said.

So far 223 undocumented immigrants had died in the U.S. border region this year, a 19-percent rise compared with 2005's figure, he said.

He also called for close U.S.-Mexico cooperation to strengthen security in their respective border regions and fight against the large-scale illegal migration.

Source: Xinhua