The Vermont Army National Guard is sending four soldiers and a helicopter to help with border security along the U.S.-Mexico border.
The six-month mission will be split up between two units of four soldiers, serving for 90 days each. Each unit will be flying a UH-72 Lakota helicopter.
"The soldiers will be providing aerial support to DHS [Department of Homeland Security] ground units during security operations" near Tucson, Arizona, according to a Vermont Guard press release.
The deployment comes as part of a wider buildup in border security after a sharp increase last year in the number of children trying to illegally cross the border from Central and South American countries.
