Trump admin. considers military buffer zone at southern border

President Donald Trump’s administration is reportedly considering plans to establish a military-controlled, 60-foot-deep buffer zone along the southern border, which would enable U.S. troops to temporarily hold migrants who enter the country illegally.

If the plan is approved, it could lead to enhanced penalties for illegal immigrants, including an expedited deportation process, a senior Trump administration official told The Washington Post this week. 

Officials familiar with discussions on the matter told the newspaper the zone could extend from west Texas near El Paso to the Pacific Ocean in Southern California north of Tijuana, Mexico, according to the report.

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U.S. troops would only hold migrants who cross the border illegally when U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents are not immediately available to arrest them, the sources told The Post. After apprehending an illegal migrant, the service members would only hold them until the arrival of law enforcement. 

Regarding the potential legal complications of temporarily holding illegal migrants, officials have reasoned that service members apprehending migrants at a militarized buffer zone is no different than catching trespassers on a military base. 

“It’s very, very careful on that wording,” one defense official quoted as saying. “It’s not ‘detention’ because once you go into detention, it has the connotations of being detained for arrest. This is holding for civilian law enforcement.”

While the White House has reportedly been involved in discussions about the buffer zone for weeks now, senior Trump administration officials report that it remains unclear if the president will approve the plan.

A spokesperson for the Department of Defense told The Christian Post that the agency had “nothing to announce at this time.” The U.S. Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to The Christian Post’s request for comment. 

Following his return to office earlier this year, Trump has continued to focus on immigration and working to reduce illegal crossings and strengthen border security. 

At the start of his second presidency, Trump signed multiple executive orders, which included the designation of drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations due to “the unacceptable national security risk” to the U.S., among other reasons.

Trump also signed an executive order declaring a national emergency at the southern border, directing the secretary of defense to deploy additional personnel to the border.

On March 14, the Defense Department announced the creation of a new joint task force that would help with efforts “to secure and seal the southern border.” The department has expanded its presence along the southern border, establishing a headquarters at Fort Huachuca in Arizona. 

If the Trump administration implements the buffer zone plan, then the zone would likely be designated as a temporary annex for nearby military installations like Huachuca, officials told The Post. 

The Defense Department announced an agreement with Mexico that resulted in the country adding 10,000 of its troops to patrol its side of the border. The Trump administration had also sought to use military facilities, including Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, to house illegal migrants.

The first detainees at Guantanamo Bay consisted of 10 members of the Venezuelan criminal gang Tren de Aragua, who arrived at the base on Feb. 5. Members of the transnational criminal gang have been linked to various crimes, including kidnappings, extortion and drug trafficking.

Earlier this month, Trump expressed his gratitude to El Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele for accepting 200 members Tren de Aragua deported from the United States. The 200 members of the Tren de Aragua gang were deported as part of a security strategy implemented by U.S. authorities.