President Trump has authorized military control over a 60-foot-wide strip of federal land along the U.S.-Mexico border, known as the Roosevelt Reservation, as part of his administration’s efforts to enhance border security and combat illegal immigration.
“Our southern border is under attack from a variety of threats. 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,” Trump stated in the official memorandum.
The move transfers jurisdiction of federal land to the Department of Defense, involving coordination between the Secretaries of Defense, Interior, Agriculture, and Homeland Security. Military personnel will be authorized to intercept individuals entering the designated area but must defer actual immigration arrests to Border Patrol agents.
Immigration policy experts have raised concerns about potential legal implications. Aaron Reichlin-Melnick noted, “Welp they’re doing the Roosevelt Reservation crazy strategy, giving the military ‘jurisdiction’ over a 60-foot-wide stretch of land from CA to AZ and then claim that migrants are being arrested for ‘trespassing on military property’ thus trying to bypass the Posse Comitatus Act.”
The Roosevelt Reservation, established in 1907 by President Theodore Roosevelt, spans portions of California, New Mexico, and Arizona. This historic strip of land was originally designated to address cross-border smuggling concerns.
Recent data shows a significant decrease in border encounters since Trump took office. March statistics revealed 7,200 migrant encounters, marking a dramatic decline from the 189,000 reported during the same month the previous year.
The military’s expanded role includes the construction of physical barriers and deployment of surveillance equipment, reflecting the administration’s broader strategy to strengthen border security measures.