In a bold move to reassert control over America’s borders, President Donald Trump has ordered the U.S. military to take operational control of key federal lands along the southern border, aiming to accelerate the construction of new barriers and crack down on illegal crossings. The directive authorizes troops to help construct the border wall, install surveillance and detection systems, and carry out any actions deemed “reasonably necessary and appropriate” to fulfill the mission. The White House says the action is necessary to “restore law and order” and protect national sovereignty, a stark contrast to what it calls years of “chaos and neglect” under the previous administration.
According to a memorandum released by the White House, Secretaries of Defense, Interior, Agriculture, and Homeland Security will be directed to transfer the jurisdiction of federal land along the southern border to the Department of Defense. Trump said that the use of military action at the southern border is necessary because the U.S. is “under attack from a variety of threats." The order calls for a “phased” implementation within 45 days, with potential expansion over time.
“The complexity of the current situation requires that our military take a more direct role in securing our southern border than in the recent past," the "Military Mission for Sealing the Southern Border of the United States and Repelling Invasions” order states.
It will direct the agencies "to provide for the use and jurisdiction by the Department of Defense over such Federal lands, including the Roosevelt Reservation and excluding Federal Indian Reservations, that are reasonably necessary to enable military activities.”
The order references the Roosevelt Reservation—a stretch of federally controlled land along the U.S.-Mexico border spanning California, New Mexico, and Arizona—areas often exploited by smugglers and illegal immigrants. The new memorandum designates the area as a military zone, meaning any illegal alien crossing into the U.S. would be trespassing on a military installation—allowing active-duty troops to detain them until U.S. Border Patrol agents arrive.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has been directed to begin a phased deployment of military forces on select sections of federal land along the southern border. However, under the new order, Hegseth has full authority to expand operations to any public land bordering Mexico as deemed necessary.