Trump Directs Military to Secure Federal Lands Along Southern Border
On Friday, President Donald Trump authorized U.S. military forces to assume control of federal lands along the southern border with Mexico, according to multiple reports.
“Our southern border is under attack from a variety of threats,” Trump declared in a National Security Presidential Memorandum released by the White House. He emphasized that “the complexity of the current situation requires that our military take a more direct role in securing our southern border than in the recent past.”
This directive builds upon Trump’s earlier proclamation of a national emergency at the border issued on Inauguration Day. That earlier order demanded a report within 90 days from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, assessing the situation at the southern border and providing “any recommendations regarding additional actions that may be necessary to obtain complete operational control of the southern border, including whether to invoke the Insurrection Act of 1807.”
The new memo grants the Pentagon authority over specific federal lands, including areas within the Roosevelt Reservation that runs along the borders of California, Arizona, and New Mexico. However, it explicitly excludes Native American reservations, except where access is “reasonably necessary to enable military activities … including border-barrier construction and emplacement of detection and monitoring equipment.”
Additionally, the memorandum permits the "transfer and acceptance of jurisdiction over such Federal lands" so they can be designated as "National Defense Areas" under Department of Defense control, if deemed necessary by the Secretary of Defense.
Hegseth has also been empowered to “determine those military activities that are reasonably necessary and appropriate to accomplish the mission assigned” in Trump's earlier executive order, "Clarifying the Military’s Role in Protecting the Territorial Integrity of the United States."
Troops operating under this directive must adhere to the "rules for the use of force" established by Hegseth, the memo states.
The memorandum instructs Hegseth, Noem, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins to "initially implement this memorandum on a limited sector of Federal lands designated" by the Defense Secretary. Hegseth must review the "initial phase" within 45 days and can expand operations to additional lands if necessary, coordinating with Noem, Homeland Security adviser Stephen Miller, and other agencies.
Following Trump's emergency declaration, the Pentagon reportedly deployed an extra 1,500 troops to bolster the 2,500 personnel already positioned at the southern border during the Biden administration. Further developments included the relocation of the 10th Mountain Division headquarters — led by Maj. Gen. Scott Naumann — from Fort Drum, New York, to Fort Huachuca, Arizona, to spearhead the mission.
According to Newsmax, Naumann now leads approximately 6,600 service members under Joint Task Force Southern Border.
At present, the mission of active-duty troops remains primarily supportive, focusing on surveillance and detection tasks for Customs and Border Protection, The Washington Post reported Friday. Under the 1878 Posse Comitatus Act, active-duty military members are generally barred from direct law enforcement activities, such as detaining individuals, except in limited circumstances.
Trump’s latest move comes amid a dramatic decrease in illegal crossings. In March, Customs and Border Protection recorded just 7,180 encounters at the southern border—a stark drop compared to the monthly average of 155,000 during the previous four years.
Daily apprehensions have similarly plummeted, with around 230 reported each day, a 95% decline from the Biden-era average of 5,100 daily apprehensions.
In a separate development, a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit filed by churches opposing the Trump administration's policy allowing immigration arrests near places of worship. The court ruled the plaintiffs had not demonstrated sufficient harm to warrant a legal challenge.