In US border towns, influx of troops brings a boom

Yuma, Ariz., is one beneficiary as 6,000 National Guard troops have been added to the Mexican border.

from the March 20, 2007 edition

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"We've had 8,000 people rotate through Arizona in support of Operation Jump Start," says Maj. Paul Aguirre, spokesman for the Arizona National Guard. "Five hundred of those are from the Arizona National Guard."

Some have been lodged temporarily on the military bases here, but that's been minimal because of previously scheduled operations on those bases, according to Major Aguirre. Most National Guard troops have been housed in local hotels, apartment buildings, and in rented houses.

That's been good for businesses. Although no one person or agency has tracked the impact of the National Guard on the local economy, anecdotal evidence shows a big boom. It's a boom that could carry businesses through the summer months, when the 120 degree F. heat arrives and tourists leave.

Now, hotels are often booked at least a week or two in advance and up to a month during the winter season. It's not uncommon to place five or six calls before finally securing a room.

Outside the Best Western Coronado in downtown Yuma, for example, several pairs of National Guard soldiers and airmen – cases of bottled water piled beside them – sit on white plastic chairs outside their rooms in the evening.

"I would say 70 percent of our winter occupancy is military and government contractors at this point," says Jeanine Rhea, president of the Yuma Hotel Association and general manager at the Hampton Inn and Suites in the town. "Some hotels have blocked out 10 to 15 rooms because [the National Guard and military in general] stay for longer periods."

Many of the guardsmen stay in what are considered "budget" hotels because the government's per diem rate allows only $71 for lodging here. Out of the 33 hotels in Yuma, 27 would be considered "budget" hotels, estimates Ms. Rhea, and those hotels have approximately 2,000 rooms available.

Most of those guardsmen staying at local hotels eat out. Indeed, the restaurant business is booming.

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