U.S. Soldiers of the 759th Military Police Battalion provide overwatch over the Texas-Mexico border through the use of multiple observation posts along the Rio Grande River in Eagle Pass, TX, Feb. 20, 2025. U.S. Northern Command is working together with the Department of Homeland Security to augment U.S. Customs and Border Protection along the southern border with additional military forces. This initial deployment of more than 1,600 active-duty personnel brings the total military to approximately 4,000 personnel. (U.S. Army photo)
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has authorized the U.S. military to assume control of certain federally owned lands along the southern border in a move aimed at intensifying the administration’s efforts to curb illegal immigration.
In a memorandum issued Friday evening, Trump directed the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security, Interior, and Agriculture to transfer jurisdiction of the Roosevelt Reservation—a 60-foot-wide strip of federally owned land along the U.S. side of the border in California, Arizona, and New Mexico—to the Department of Defense for use in military operations. The order allows the military to use the land for training, construction, and “other activities” deemed necessary to secure the border.
“Our southern border is under attack from a variety of threats,” Trump said in the directive, titled “Military Mission for Sealing the Southern Border of the United States and Repelling Invasions.” “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 Roosevelt Reservation spans three of the four U.S. states along the southern border and was originally established in 1907 to prevent private construction close to the international boundary. Federal and tribal lands together make up 632 miles—about one-third—of the nearly 2,000-mile U.S.-Mexico border.
The order excludes Native American reservations but designates the federal lands in question as “National Defense Areas,” giving Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth authority to direct military operations in the region. Trump said the move would facilitate the construction of border barriers and the deployment of detection and surveillance equipment.
The directive also requires an initial progress report within 45 days.
The move comes on the heels of Trump’s return to the White House, where he signed a series of immigration-focused executive orders, including the declaration of a national emergency at the southern border. In recent weeks, military personnel have been deployed to the border to support state law enforcement and National Guard units.
Critics say the order may raise legal concerns about the military’s role in domestic affairs and spark pushback from state officials and communities along the border. Supporters argue it underscores the administration’s commitment to border security amid ongoing concerns over illegal crossings and drug trafficking.