Trump Administration Reviews Military Management Plans for Mexico Border Area

The Trump administration in the United States is reportedly considering a plan to have the military manage the border area with Mexico.

Donald Trump, President of the United States. Yonhap News Agency

On the 19th (local time), The Washington Post (WP), citing five anonymous sources, reported that the Trump administration is reviewing legal issues related to this plan, focusing on the southern border of New Mexico. The core of this plan is to designate a narrow buffer zone extending 60 feet (about 18 meters) from the border as a military facility.

This area, originally established by former President Theodore Roosevelt in 1907 for border management, is called the "Roosevelt Reservation." Although it was originally under the jurisdiction of the Department of the Interior, partial control was transferred to the Department of Defense during the first Trump administration’s border wall construction efforts.

If this area is designated as a military facility, illegal immigrants crossing the border into this zone could be treated as if they have trespassed on a military base. Even if Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents cannot respond immediately, the military could apprehend and detain them. If this plan is implemented, the military, which operates with a massive budget, would become the most directly involved agency in immigration enforcement under the second Trump administration.

However, WP pointed out that this could conflict with federal laws that prohibit military involvement in most law enforcement activities. It also analyzed that the legal basis for the military detaining illegal immigrants is ambiguous. A military official involved in the discussions told WP, "The term 'detention' encompasses the process of arrest, so we cannot say it that way. It is merely temporary holding for judicial authorities."

It is still uncertain whether President Trump will approve this plan, but administration officials anticipate that if the military is deployed, the response to illegal immigrants will be intensified and forced deportations accelerated.