The Wirld Ambassador
TWA
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Washington, D.C. – The U.S. military is set to expand its presence along the southern border by establishing two new National Defense Areas (NDAs), where service members will be permitted to temporarily detain migrants until they are handed over to law enforcement, according to U.S. officials.
According to CNN,The new NDAs will be located near Joint Base San Antonio, Texas, covering around 250 miles of the Rio Grande, and near Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Arizona, spanning over 100 miles. These zones will supplement two others already in operation—one linked to Fort Bliss, Texas (established in May), and another near Fort Huachuca, Arizona (created in April).
General Gregory Guillot, commander of U.S. Northern Command, emphasized that these areas will enhance operational capacity and prevent illegal activities along the border. “This will allow our personnel already monitoring the border to detain trespassers temporarily until law enforcement arrives,” he said.
Although U.S. troops are legally barred from direct law enforcement activities under the Posse Comitatus Act, the designation of NDAs as extensions of military bases provides limited authority to act in border enforcement roles, such as conducting temporary detentions and security checks.
However, the move has sparked political backlash. Democratic senators, including Jack Reed and Martin Heinrich, have accused the administration of bypassing legal safeguards and due process. Reed called the tactic “a legal fiction” that undermines long-standing protections.
Despite legal concerns, U.S. troops began detaining migrants in June, and the Department of Justice has already secured its first convictions for trespassing within an NDA. Still, some cases have been dismissed due to lack of evidence that migrants were aware of the restricted zones.
This latest military expansion comes as thousands of National Guard troops and hundreds of Marines are deployed near Los Angeles, amid growing protests over immigration enforcement policies.
