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The US military has established a second designated military zone along the US-Mexico border, expanding its immigration enforcement presence into Texas. This newly declared area, now called the Texas National Defense Area, permits U.S. troops to temporarily detain migrants or trespassers—mirroring a similar measure taken earlier this month in New Mexico.
This move is part of President Donald Trump’s broader campaign to tighten immigration enforcement. Since taking office, Trump has significantly increased the number of troops stationed at the southern border and vowed to deport millions of undocumented immigrants residing in the United States.
Texas Border Defense Zones and Legal Boundaries
The first such area, a 60-foot-wide (18.3-meter-wide) strip along a military base in New Mexico, was designated as a National Defense Area earlier this month. Late on Thursday, the Defense Department confirmed the establishment of a second buffer zone in Texas.
While U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) retains jurisdiction over all illegal border crossings, military personnel within these zones are authorized to temporarily detain individuals until they can be transferred to CBP or other law enforcement agencies.
According to the Defense Department, “troops would hand over migrants they detained to U.S. Border Patrol or other civilian law enforcement.”
Arrests and Enforcement Measures
So far, 82 migrants have been charged for illegally crossing into the buffer zone. However, military personnel have not made any direct arrests; all detentions and charges to date have been carried out by CBP officials.
These designated zones allow the Trump administration to leverage military resources without invoking the Insurrection Act of 1807, which authorizes the president to deploy the military for domestic disturbances such as riots or rebellion.
Avoiding the Insurrection Act
At the start of the administration, the Pentagon and the Department of Homeland Security were directed to evaluate whether actions—including invoking the Insurrection Act—would be necessary to manage migrant flows at the border.
However, a U.S. official, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, stated that U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had advised against using the Act at this time.
“Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth last week had recommended that at this time, the Insurrection Act was not needed,” the official said.
The last time the Insurrection Act was used was during the 1992 Los Angeles riots.
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