Latest news with #NationalDefenseAreas
American Military News
a day ago
- Politics
- American Military News
2 new military zones created by Trump admin along US-Mexico border
President Donald Trump's Department of Defense is creating two new military zones along the southern border between the United States and Mexico. According to The New York Times, two Defense Department officials said that the Pentagon is establishing new military zones in Texas and Arizona. The Texas military zone will be part of the Marine Corps Air Station, which is located in Yuma, and the Arizona military zone will be part of Joint Base San Antonio, according to the outlet. A defense official confirmed The New York Times report in a statement to The Hill. The anonymous defense official explained that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth instructed the secretaries of the U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force to 'take necessary action to establish National Defense Areas along the U.S.-Mexico border.' The defense official added, 'DoD's new jurisdiction over these stretches of land and river will enhance the authority of the Department to secure the U.S. southern border from unlawful entry and to maintain the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and security of the United States.' In a Wednesday press release, the Air Force said it will now oversee a National Defense Area spanning roughly 250 miles of the Rio Grande River in Texas' Hidalgo and Cameron Counties. READ MORE: US troops detain 'illegal aliens' in military zones along US-Mexico border 'Joint Task Force-Southern Border (JTF-SB) service members, under the direction of USNORTHCOM, will operate within the NDA,' the Air Force stated. 'Their responsibilities include enhanced detection and monitoring through stationary positions and mobile patrols, temporarily detaining trespassers until they are transferred to the appropriate law enforcement authorities, and supporting the installation of temporary barriers, and signage to secure the area.' The Air Force explained that the new National Defense Area is the 'latest in a series' of military zones created to 'strengthen interagency coordination and bolster security operations along the U.S. southern border.' The Air Force noted that the Defense Department previously established National Defense Areas in Texas and New Mexico as part of U.S. Northern Command's 'whole-of-government approach to homeland defense.' According to the press release, the first National Defense Area was created in New Mexico on April 21 and includes roughly 170 miles of land as part of an extension of Fort Huachuca, while a second National Defense Area was created in West Texas on May 1 and includes roughly 63 miles of land as part of an extension of Fort Bliss. 'These efforts reflect USNORTHCOM's ongoing mission as the DoD's operational lead for homeland defense, ensuring the territorial integrity of the United States' southern border,' the Air Force concluded.
The Hill
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Hill
US to create military zones in Texas, Arizona on Mexico border
The Defense Department is establishing two additional military zones along the U.S.-Mexico border, in an effort to further crack down on unlawful migrant crossings, a Defense official confirmed to The Hill. The Pentagon is creating one designated area along Arizona's border and one in southern Texas, according to The New York Times, which cited two Defense Department officials. The former will become part of the Marine Corps Air Station in Yuma, and the latter will become a part of Joint Base San Antonio, the Times reported. A Defense official confirmed the report to The Hill, saying Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth directed the secretaries of the Air Force and Navy 'to take necessary action to establish National Defense Areas along the U.S.-Mexico border.' 'DoD's new jurisdiction over these stretches of land and river will enhance the authority of the Department to secure the U.S. southern border from unlawful entry and to maintain the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and security of the United States,' the official said in a statement. The two new military zones add to the two others designated by the Pentagon earlier this year — in southern Texas and New Mexico. In the designated zones, military personnel are authorized to take custody of migrants who illegally cross the border until they are transferred to civilian authorities in the Department of Homeland Security.
2 days ago
- Politics
Pentagon to set up 2 more military buffer zones near border in Arizona and Texas
The Defense Department is setting up two more military buffer zones along the southwestern U.S. border with Mexico. That brings to four the number of "National Defense Areas" where U.S. military personnel can temporarily detain undocumented migrants for trespassing on what are now considered to be extensions of U.S. military bases. U.S. military personnel operating in the buffer zones do not carry out law enforcement duties, but can temporarily detain any trespassers, as they would at any military base, until they are transferred to U.S. Customs and Border Protection personnel. The Air Force announced in a news release Wednesday that a 250-mile stretch of the border in Texas along the Rio Grande River in Cameron and Hidalgo counties will be transferred from the International Boundary and Water Commission and be considered a part of Joint Base San Antonio, Texas. Another buffer zone will be established in western Arizona and will be considered a part of Marine Corps Air Station, Yuma, according to a U.S. official. The Marine Corps has not yet formally made an announcement about the establishment of the new National Defense Area attached to the Yuma installation, which the official said would extend for 100 miles. Previously, the Pentagon had established the Texas National Defense Area -- covering 63 miles -- attached to Fort Bliss, Texas, and the New Mexico National Defense Area -- covering 170 miles -- attached to Fort Huachuca, Arizona. The Air Force said Wednesday that members of the Joint Task Force-Southern Border, under the direction of U.S. Northcom will operate within the zones. "Their responsibilities include enhanced detection and monitoring through stationary positions and mobile patrols, temporarily detaining trespassers until they are transferred to the appropriate law enforcement authorities, and supporting the installation of temporary barriers, and signage to secure the area," the Air Force said in a statement. Last month, a federal judge dismissed trespassing charges against 98 undocumented immigrants who were arrested in one of the National Defense Areas in New Mexico after finding the federal government had failed to demonstrate they knew they were entering the restricted zone. As of about mid-May, the Justice Department said 60 people had pleaded guilty to charges stemming from illegally entering the National Defense Area in western Texas.
CNN
3 days ago
- Politics
- CNN
US military expected to announce two new zones where service members can detain migrants on southern border, officials say
The US Departments of the Navy and Air Force are expected to announce the establishment of two additional military zones along the US southern border this week, three US officials told CNN. The zones, which are known as National Defense Areas, will be attached to Joint Base San Antonio, Texas, and Marine Corps Air Station, Yuma, the officials said. The NDA around Joint Base San Antonio will include roughly 250 miles of the Rio Grande River, two of the officials added. The NDA near MCAS Yuma will extend over 100 miles along the border, the third official said. The new zones will bring the total count up to four, after the establishment of the Texas National Defense Area attached to Fort Bliss, Texas, in May, and the New Mexico National Defense Area attached to Fort Huachuca, Arizona, in April. 'The establishment of a second National Defense Area increases our operational reach and effectiveness in denying illegal activity along the southern border,' US Northern Command commander Gen. Gregory Guillot said after the establishment of the Texas National Defense Area. 'This is the second area in which Joint Task Force – Southern Border service members who are already detecting and monitoring through stationary positions and mobile patrols nearby can now temporarily detain trespassers until they are transferred to an appropriate law enforcement entity.' US troops are prohibited from conducting law enforcement activities by the Posse Comitatus Act. But the defense areas are treated as extensions of military installations, allowing service members to temporarily detain migrants who are trespassing before handing them off to law enforcement, conduct cursory searches of trespassers, and conduct crowd-control measures. Democratic lawmakers have criticized the defense areas as a way to side-step the act. Sen. Jack Reed, the ranking member of the Senates Armed Services Committee, said last month that the NDAs 'evade the long-standing protections of the Posse Comitatus Act by allowing military forces to act as de facto border police, detaining migrants until they can be transferred to Customs and Border Protection.' 'In the Administration's telling, this approach permits military involvement in immigration control without invoking the Insurrection Act of 1807,' Reed said. 'This is both unprecedented and a legal fiction. Sen. Martin Heinrich of New Mexico also raised concerns to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth last month that the Trump administration is 'bypassing due process for individuals who either intentionally or unintentionally enter this newly restricted area.' Service members began directly detaining migrants in June. The Department of Justice only just got its first convictions related to trespassing in the NDAs this month. According to the Justice Department, two individuals pleaded guilty to charges including trespassing into the New Mexico National Defense Area. In both cases, the individuals were apprehended by Border Patrol agents. Dozens of national security charges against migrants were dropped by a judge in New Mexico earlier this month after they found little evidence that the migrants knew about the defense areas. The establishment of the new defense areas comes as over 4,000 National Guard troops and roughly 700 active duty Marines are currently mobilized in the Los Angeles area, in response to protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions.
Time of India
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Soldiers, Strykers and 100-degree temps: Inside Trump's border military zone
Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads BORDER BUILDUP 'COVERED BY DESERT SAND' The weapons system atop a drab green U.S. Army Stryker swivels, its camera shifting downward toward a white Ford F-150 driving slowly along the U.S.-Mexico the watchful eye of the 26-ton armored vehicle perched on a sand dune above them, humanitarian volunteers are driving the dirt road next to the border wall to see if they can continue to search for migrant remains inside one of two military zones established along the border by the Trump administration in April and they get their not long before an unmarked gray pickup appears, makes a U-turn in the sand, and puts on its siren, here in the desert 5.6 miles (9 km) west of the Santa Teresa, New Mexico border driver pulls alongside, introduces himself as a U.S. Border Patrol agent, and tells the volunteers they can no longer be Holman, founder of the Battalion Search and Rescue group, whose volunteers also hand water to migrants through the bars of the barrier, he vents his frustration."We're ramping up all this military and taking this public land away, it doesn't make sense, and it's theater, it's deadly, deadly theater," says Holman, 59, a former are in one of two so-called " National Defense Areas " set up along 260 miles (418 km) of the U.S. southern border in New Mexico and Texas as part of the Trump administration's military buildup on the border.U.S. President Donald Trump has long shown interest in using the military for civilian law enforcement, sending Marines to Los Angeles this week in their first domestic deployment in over 30 border military zones are one of his most audacious attempts yet to use troops trained for overseas combat in roles normally carried out by Border Patrol or local Army has not made public the zones' boundaries. The New Mexico area may run over three miles into the United States, in places, based on "restricted area" warning signs in English and Spanish posted along State Road 9 parallel to the zones are classified as U.S. Army installations , giving troops the right to temporarily detain and question migrants and other civilian trespassers caught in the primary mission is to detect and track illegal border crossers as part of the Trump administration's quest for "100% operational control" of the border at a time when migrant arrests are near an historic the international boundary, Reuters saw warning signs posted inside the United States around 45 feet north of the border barrier around every 100 meters, facing south. That meant if you had crossed the border and could read them, you were already in the caught illegally crossing the border into the zones face new trespassing charges on top of unlawful entry to the country, with combined penalties of up to 10 years imprisonment. Attempts to prosecute them for trespassing have in May, federal judges in Texas and New Mexico have dismissed trespassing charges against migrants caught within the area and acquitted a Peruvian woman brought to trial, ruling there was no evidence they saw signs before entering the border crossings fell to a record low in March after the Biden administration shut down asylum claims in 2024 and Mexico tightened immigration who banned people from claiming asylum on the southern border shortly after starting his second term in January, nonetheless says the military areas are needed to repel an "invasion" of human traffickers and drug the past four months Trump raised the number of active-duty troops on the border to 8,000 from 2,500 at the end of the Biden administration, according to the U.S. since Richard Nixon have used regular troops and reservists for support roles on the border. Trump has taken it a step Bureau of Land Management in April transferred 110,000 acres (172 square miles) of land in New Mexico, an area seven times the size of Manhattan, to the U.S. Army for three years to establish a first zone. A second was created in May with a transfer of International Boundary and Water Commission land in areas are satellites of the Fort Huachuca and Fort Bliss Army bases in Arizona and Texas, gives troops the right to hold and question civilian trespassers without the need for Trump to invoke the Insurrection Act. The law lets a president deploy federal forces domestically during events like civil 105 Stryker combat vehicles and around 2,400 troops from the 4th Infantry Division deployed from Colorado Springs in March. They rove in armored personnel carriers across New Mexico, Texas and saw Strykers concentrated in a roughly 20-mile ribbon from El Paso west to Santa Teresa, one of the 2,000-mile border's busiest and most deadly areas for migrant 8-wheeled vehicles, used by Americans in Iraq and Afghanistan, and now by Ukraine in its war with Russia, can be seen parked under a bridge to Mexico, atop a landfill and on a ridge above a gap in the border engines run 24/7 to cool crews in the 100 F. (38 C.) plus heat. Vehicles are unarmed but soldiers have personal weapons. Crews take shifts operating the joystick-controlled camera systems that can see for two miles (3.2 km) and have night vision, according to the Army.A person familiar with Strykers, who asked not to be named, said the work was "monotonous" but said it gave soldiers "a sense of purpose."Troops have alerted Border Patrol to 390 illegal crossings in the nearly two months since the first zone was established. They made their first detentions on June 3, holding 3 "illegal aliens" in New Mexico before handing them over to Border Patrol, according to Army spokesperson Geoffrey Patrol arrested 39,677 migrants in the El Paso sector in the fiscal year to April, down 78% from the year-earlier outside his juice bar in Sunland Park, Harold Gregory says he has seen a sharp drop in migrants entering his store or asking customers for a ride since Strykers arrived."We feel safer," said Gregory, 38. "They do kind of like intimidate so there's not so many people come this way."In neighboring Santa Teresa, trade consultant Jerry Pacheco says the optics of combat vehicles are not good as he tries to draw international firms to the town's industrial park."It's like killing an ant with a sledgehammer," says Pacheco, executive director of the International Business Accelerator , a nonprofit trade counseling program. "I think having the military down here is more of a political splash."About 90 miles (143 km) west, New Mexico rancher Russell Johnson said he saw five Strykers briefly positioned in a gap in the border barrier on his welcomes the zone as an extra layer of security and has testified to the U.S. Congress on illegal border crossers destroying barbed wire fences, cattle thieves driving livestock into Mexico and a pickup stolen at gunpoint by drug is unsure if his home, or over half his ranch, is inside the area but has been assured by U.S. Border Patrol he can continue to work land ranched by his family since 1918."I don't know, I don't think anyone knows," says Johnson, 37, a former Border Patrol agent, of the zone's says the Army has not communicated rules for hunters with permits to shoot quail and mule deer this fall in the military area, or hikers who start or end the 3,000-mile (4,800 km) Continental Divide Trail within Army has been seeking memoranda of understanding with local communities and agencies to continue activities in the New Mexico zone, said Nicole Wieman, a U.S. Army spokesperson."The MOU process for commercial and recreational activities, such as hunting, mining and ranching, is complex," Wieman Jones, Republican state representative for Johnson's area, said Americans can keep doing what they did before in the zone."They can carry their firearms as they would have prior," said Jones, who welcomed the troops to her "neglected" area where only a barbed-wire fence separates the two countries in the east in Las Cruces, the state's second largest city, State Representative Sarah Silva, a Democrat, said the zones have created fear and apprehension"I see this as an occupation of the U.S. Army on our lands," said in desert west of Santa Teresa, Battalion Search and Rescue leader Abbey Carpenter, 67, stands among dunes where the group has discovered the remains of 24 migrants in 18 months, mostly women. She is concerned the area could be absorbed into the military zone."Who's going to look for these remains if we're not allowed out here," she said, showing the jaw and other uncollected bones of a woman her group reported to local authorities in September. "Will they just be covered up by the desert sands?"
