Topeka ? A Kansas National Guard unit will go to the border to help stop illegal immigrants crossing into the U.S. from Mexico.

Gov. Kathleen Sebelius on Wednesday said 50 airmen from the 184th Civil Engineering Squadron, based in Wichita, will take part in Operation Jumpstart.

Sebelius said the airmen will work in Arizona on projects such as fence construction in what will be the first such deployment from Kansas. The unit will leave at the end of July.

President Bush called for National Guard troops to help the Border Patrol increase security while additional Border Patrol agents were trained.

“It’s Washington’s responsibility to defend our borders, but since we’ve seen precious little action nationally on that front, states like Kansas are stepping up,” Sebelius said.

“This mission demonstrates just how versatile our airmen are,” said Maj. Gen. Tod Bunting, the adjutant general.

The deployment is expected to last two to three weeks.