[JURIST] US Border Patrol [official website] Chief David Aguilar [official profile] said Tuesday that arrests of people trying to cross the border illegally have dropped by 45 percent [DHS press release] in the two months since President Bush announced a plan to send 6,000 National Guard troops [JURIST report] to aid in border security along the Mexican border. Aguilar said that increased resources and personnel, as well as the high level of publicity surrounding the National Guard [official website] deployment, contributed to the decreased numbers. Though the summer months usually see a drop in arrests, Aguilar said the arrest totals for the last two months are still far below the numbers from the summer months in 2004 and 2005, which generally decrease by 25 percent. In June, Arizona saw a 23 percent decrease [JURIST report] in illegal immigration [JURIST news archive], just one month after the National Guard announcement.

Over 4,500 National Guard troops have already arrived along the Mexican border, and they are on target to reach 6,000 by August 1. Cox News Service has more.