A group of illegal immigrants were detained in New Mexico for breaching a national defense area that was set up by the United States Army, according to a report from the Associated Press.
The Army created a “buffer zone” along 170 miles of the border with Mexico in cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
On Monday, federal prosecutors applied a charge for incursions into this defense area against illegal aliens who were detained by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
Reportedly, the charges against at least a half-dozen immigrants for unauthorized entry on military defense property were signed by U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison, an Alamogordo, New Mexico-native sworn into office April 18.
The Trump administration has promised to secure the southern border and to carry out mass deportations.
In a video posted to X earlier this month, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said that “If you try to come in illegally as a cartel, smuggle or traffic. You will be detained by the U.S. military.”
FACT. https://t.co/S3btXLebZ3
— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) April 25, 2025
“You’re standing on a national defense area. This may as well be a military base inside the United States of America,” he added, stating that attempts to enter this zone is equivalent to breaching a military base.
. @SecDef under the previous admin. “If you jumped over the border war, or you walked onto sovereign US soil, you were greeted probably with a blanket…
— DOD Rapid Response (@DODResponse) April 25, 2025
When @POTUS was elected he followed through on his promise and said we will get 100% OPERATIONAL CONTROL of the southern… pic.twitter.com/A7k2vBq9Jw
. @SecDef “You’re standing on a national defense area. This may as well be a military base inside the United States of America…
— DOD Rapid Response (@DODResponse) April 25, 2025
Any illegal that attempts to enter this zone is entering a MILITARY BASE. A federally protected area…
YOU WILL BE DETAINED.” pic.twitter.com/pZC0quabQh
It was an honor to visit our warfighters at the New Mexico National Defense Area.
— Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (@SecDef) April 25, 2025
Thanks to their work, the southern border is now the strongest and safest in American history. pic.twitter.com/YwlIOKxlhv
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