U.S. troops could be allowed to arrest migrants after being given a large sliver of land at the southern border, a new report claims.
Citing U.S. officials, The Associated Press detailed that the transfer of the border zone to military control seeks to bypass a federal law that prevents troops from being used for domestic law enforcement on U.S. soil.
However, if troops are being considered as providing security for its land, a 90-foot-wide buffer zone that goes from New Mexico to California, they could be allowed to apprehend trespassers, in these case migrants. They would then be turned over to civilian law enforcement agencies.
The outlet added that the Department of Defense will conduct a test in an area of the land, putting up additional fencing and signs warning people not to trespass.
The move is part of a broader initiative to have the U.S. military involved in immigration enforcement. On his first day in office, President Donald Trump signed Executive Order 14167, which gave the military a newly defined role in protecting the "territorial integrity" of the United States by sealing the southern border and repelling what he described as an "invasion" of unlawful migrants. This followed his proclamation of a national emergency at the U.S.-Mexico border on the same day.
Since then, Trump has escalated his rhetoric and policy initiatives aimed at curbing immigration through militarized enforcement, bypassing traditional civilian immigration agencies.
In this context, the Navy deployed a guided-missile destroyer to patrol a region of the southern border on Friday. Concretely, the USS Stockdale (DDG-106) departed Naval Base San Diego with a Coast Guard law enforcement detachment onboard, becoming the second such deployment in less than a month after the USS Gravely in mid-March.
The patrol is part of a broader strategy led by U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) to integrate military capabilities into border security operations. An official Navy statement said Stockdale will operate as part of a "coordinated, multi-domain strategy" intended to "protect the United States' territorial integrity, sovereignty, and security."
Admiral Daryl Caudle, Commander of U.S. Fleet Forces, explained that such missions would involve monitoring key maritime corridors between the U.S. and Mexico, particularly near San Diego and the Gulf of Mexico.
While destroyers have historically operated in conflict zones abroad, their presence in domestic border operations have been rare. Officials have not stated whether the deployment aims to supplement limited Coast Guard resources or serve as a deterrent to smuggling and unauthorized maritime crossings.
Originally published on Latin Times
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