President Donald Trump has placed a 60-foot-wide strip of land along the US-Mexico border under the jurisdiction of the US military, a move aimed at continuing the White House’s efforts to deter illegal immigration.
Trump issued an order authorizing the temporary military control of the Roosevelt Reservation, a federally owned stretch of land established in 1907 by President Theodore Roosevelt for the purpose of border security. The strip spans parts of California, Arizona, and New Mexico. Under the order, military personnel will be permitted to detain individuals who cross into the US illegally within this area.
According to a report by Politico, Trump had previously authorized military operations on the Roosevelt Reservation during his first term to assist with the construction of the border wall. The order is part of a broader effort by President Trump to increase military involvement in addressing mass illegal immigration at the southern border.
“Our southern border is under attack from a variety of threats,” the order stated. “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.”
The directive, however, has raised concerns from critics who argue it may