SAN LUIS - Under a blistering sun and yards from the Mexican border, Gov. Janet Napolitano welcomed a dose of military might on Tuesday to Arizona's stepped-up efforts to quell illegal immigration.

A group of military engineers, 55 in all, from the Utah National Guard has been working since Saturday grading roads, putting up floodlights and building fences.

Napolitano thanked each of the Guard members for volunteering. They are the first of potentially thousands expected to train along Arizona's border under President Bush's plan to beef up border security.

"Many of these men and women have done the same work in Iraq last year," Napolitano said. "There's a lot of expertise here, and we should see some progress."