US creates new military zone along border with Mexico

[Judi Lynn]

Reuters/Washington

Published on May 04, 2025 | 02:31 PM



The US military has created a second military zone along the border with Mexico, adding an area in Texas where troops can temporarily detain migrants or trespassers after another such area was designated in New Mexico last month.

President Donald Trump has launched an aggressive immigration enforcement campaign since taking office, increasing troops at the southern border and pledging to deport millions of immigrants in the United States illegally.

The Trump administration in April said it designated a 170sq mile (440sq km) strip along the base of New Mexico as a “National Defence Area”.

Late on Thursday, the US military said it had established the “Texas National Defence Area” in a 63 mile-long strip running east from the Texas-New Mexico border in El Paso.

US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) maintains jurisdiction over illegal border crossings in the area and troops would hand over migrants they detained to US Border Patrol or other civilian law enforcement.
So far, 82 migrants have been charged for crossing into the New Mexico military zone, according to the state’s US Attorney’s Office.

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https://www.gulf-times.com/article/704114/my-news/us-creates-new-military-zone-along-border-with-mexico