Donald Trump has given the military the green light to take control of land along the US-Mexico border as part of his administration’s ongoing efforts to strengthen measures against undocumented immigration.
This authorization was issued late on Friday through a memorandum addressed to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, and Agricultural Secretary Brooke Rollins, detailing new regulations regarding military involvement at the southern border of the United States.
Titled “Military Mission for Securing the Southern Border of the United States and Preventing Invasions,” the memorandum permits the armed forces to “take a more active role” in enhancing security along the border.
The order claimed, “Our southern border faces various threats.” It emphasized the need for military involvement in securing the southern border compared to previous efforts.
The memorandum also stated that the Department of Defense should be granted jurisdiction over federal lands, including the Roosevelt Reservation, a 60-foot-wide strip running through California, Arizona, and New Mexico. This would enable stationed troops to legally detain immigrants allegedly trespassing on this extended base, holding unauthorized immigrants in custody until they can be transferred to immigration officials.
According to the memorandum, potential military activities on federal land could involve “the construction of border barriers and the installation of detection and monitoring equipment.”
Following a 45-day period, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will review the “initial phase” of the order, with the option to broaden the scope of federal land involved at any time.
The military takeover as per the memorandum specifically excludes Native American reservations.
Friday’s directive marks yet another action by Trump as his administration emphasizes immigration enforcement, which previously included declaring a national emergency at the southern border.
On Thursday, a federal judge granted the Trump administration permission to mandate that non-citizens in the country register with the federal government — a requirement that advocates argue has not been consistently enforced since its establishment in the 1940s.
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The ruling comes after the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) unveiled the new requirement on February 25, indicating that those who neglect to report might face fines or potential imprisonment.
The DHS’s announcement is widely interpreted as a workaround to the Posse Comitatus Act, a federal statute that prohibits US military personnel from engaging in most civilian law enforcement activities.
One justification frequently cited by Trump and his Republican allies for militarizing the US border is that individuals crossing from Mexico without permission are responsible for a significant portion of the fentanyl distributed in the US. However, official data indicate that 90% of those convicted of fentanyl trafficking are American citizens.
