The United States military has established a new military zone along the Texas-Mexico border. This zone allows troops to temporarily detain migrants and trespassers. The announcement follows the creation of a similar zone in New Mexico just last month.
This move is part of President Donald Trump’s strong push against illegal immigration since he took office. The administration has increased the number of troops at the southern border and has expressed intentions to deport millions of undocumented immigrants.
The newly designated area, named the "Texas National Defense Area," stretches for about 100 kilometers (63 miles) from the Texas-New Mexico border in El Paso. According to the Pentagon, troops can detain individuals in these zones. After detaining them, the military will transfer the migrants to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) or other law enforcement agencies, which handle illegal border crossings.
In April, the Trump administration had already set up an 18-meter-wide, 270-kilometer-long (60 feet by 170 miles) strip in New Mexico as a national defense area. So far, 82 migrants have been charged for crossing into this military zone, but no detentions were made by military personnel; instead, CBP officials managed those cases.
The establishment of these military zones aims to allow the administration to use military resources for detaining migrants without needing to invoke the Insurrection Act of 1807, which restricts military deployment to specific civil disorder situations.
Currently, around 11,900 U.S. troops are stationed at the border. Interestingly, government data indicates that the number of migrants caught crossing illegally hit a record low in March.
Texas Governor Gregg Abbott has been vocal in his support for these measures. He recently shared images of razor wire barriers being constructed along the border, stating that Texas is collaborating with the Trump administration to combat illegal immigration. Since 2021, Abbott has deployed the National Guard and state police to enhance border security.
In contrast, New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham has criticized the military zone in her state, calling it a “deportation buffer zone.” She argues that it is an inefficient use of resources, especially given the decline in migrant crossings in recent years.