US Military May Patrol Border with Mexico and Detain Migrants

The U.S. military may be assigned the task of patrolling certain areas along the border with Mexico, which would grant them the authority to detain migrants, according to U.S. officials. Current federal law restricts the use of American soldiers for law enforcement activities on domestic soil. However, if military personnel are deployed to secure land that is part of a military base, they may be permitted to perform such duties.

This situation pertains to a federal land area known as the Roosevelt Reservation, which serves as an 18-meter-wide buffer zone stretching over 1,000 kilometers along the Mexico border from New Mexico to California. It is important to note that this zone does not include privately owned land or tribal territories. Previously, this area was under the jurisdiction of the Department of the Interior, but a recent executive order from President Donald Trump has transferred control of the reservation to the Department of Defense.