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Goal of 2,500 Guard troops on border by today in doubt States pledge more Guard troops but border deployment still lags Calif. leader refuses more border troops Border Patrol eager for National Guard aidSome governors worry border plan could stress National Guard More Guard troops headed to border Bush sending Guard to border Deployment strength of Guard hazy Arizona border residents skeptical of Bush planNapolitano signs pact for National Guard border duty

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MAINTANANCE POSITION

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — On the deadline to have 2,500 troops along the Mexican border, the National Guard said Friday that only 483 were in position and working with the U.S. Border Patrol as the Bush administration had directed.

But Guard officials said more than 2,000 others were somewhere inside the four Southwestern border states, training or helping plan the deployment. He and Bush administration officials argued Friday that the presence of troops in those states spelled success in the first stage of the mission.

Lt. Gen. H. Steven Blum, chief of the National Guard Bureau, an arm of the Pentagon, had promised June 1 that by the end of the month 2,500 Guard troops would be working "on the border."

"As defined by the operation, the National Guard has met and exceeded its goal of deploying 2,500 soldiers and airmen to the four Southwest border states," said White House spokesman Blain Rethmeier. "Progress to date is real, and the Guard's efforts are making a positive difference in this national effort."

As evidence, he said the early arrival of troops had allowed the Border Patrol to send 125 agents "back to the front lines" and helped the Border Patrol catch nearly 200 illegal immigrants, seize 123 pounds of marijuana, 18 pounds of cocaine and seven vehicles.

Through initial pay requests filed with the Air Guard and orders filed with the Army Guard, the Guard bureau verified 2,547 troops were in the four border states for the mission, said Daniel Donohue, a spokesman for the National Guard Bureau.

Only 483 were physically on the border, he said. The remaining forces — 1,816 — are in training somewhere in the four states; 248 are assigned to headquarters and planning roles, Donohue said.

Asked to clarify, Blum spokesman Mark Allen responded by e-mail that the general had never specifically promised to deliver troops to a "geographically defined latitude and longitude."

Still, there were signs the deployment was picking up speed. Texas Gov. Rick Perry said 1,000 Army and Air National Guardsmen were either on the border or "on their way," adding 500 to totals released Thursday.