The military presence extends east of New Mexico into El Paso, Texas.
The United States on Thursday announced the creation of a second military zone along its southern border with Mexico, further expanding the military’s presence in the area.
Dubbed the “Texas National Defense Area,” and announced late on May 1, it is a 63-mile stretch that runs east from the Texas-New Mexico state line in El Paso.
The zone’s creation follows the creation in April of a first military zone along a 60-foot-wide corridor called the Roosevelt Reservation. The corridor runs along the border lands of New Mexico, Arizona, and California.
According to court documents filed on April 28, the United States has initiated criminal prosecutions for 28 illegal immigrants for allegedly crossing into the new military zone, charging them with “violations of security regulations,” and entering a “restricted and controlled” New Mexico national defense area on top of illegal entry.
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“If you have attempted to evade, that’s evading law enforcement, just like you would any other military base,” he added. “You add up the charges of what you can be charged with misdemeanors and felonies, you can be looking at up to 10 years in prison when prosecuted.”
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said that 82 illegal immigrants have been charged with crossing into the New Mexico military zone. The federal government announced in March that the number of illegal immigrant crossings had dropped to the lowest level ever recorded.
New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has opposed the operation, calling it a “deportation buffer zone” in her state, and “a waste of resources and military personnel, especially when migrant crossings are at the lowest in decades.”
Around 11,900 troops are stationed on the border. According to the Department of Defense, U.S. Customs and Border Protection retains jurisdiction over illegal border crossings. Troops detain and hand over illegal immigrants to the U.S. Border Patrol.
Aldgra Fredly and Reuters contributed to this report.
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