The US Department of Defense reportedly designated a second stretch of land at the southern border as a military zone to crack down on illegal immigration.
According to the Associated Press, the newest area is in Texas and is attached to the Fort Bliss Army base in El Paso. There, military personnel are authorized to take custody of illegal aliens who cross the border until they are transferred to civilian authorities in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
“The establishment of a second National Defense Area increases our operational reach and effectiveness in denying illegal activity along the southern border,” Gen. Gregory Guillot, commander of the U.S. Northern Command, said in a statement on Thursday.
“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,” he added.
Earlier this week, Townhall reported how a group of illegal immigrants were detained in New Mexico for breaching the initial “buffer zone” area that was set up by the United States Army.
In a video posted to X earlier this month, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said that “If you try to come in illegally as a cartel, smuggle or traffic. You will be detained by the U.S. military.”
FACT. https://t.co/S3btXLebZ3
— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) April 25, 2025
. @SecDef “You’re standing on a national defense area. This may as well be a military base inside the United States of America…
— DOD Rapid Response (@DODResponse) April 25, 2025
Any illegal that attempts to enter this zone is entering a MILITARY BASE. A federally protected area…
YOU WILL BE DETAINED.” pic.twitter.com/pZC0quabQh