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The Department of Defense (DOD) has announced the establishment of a new National Defense Area (NDA) along the Texas border.
DOD explained in a statement that the U.S. Air Force will manage the new NDA, which will cover approximately 250 miles of the Rio Grande in Cameron and Hidalgo counties on land transferred from the International Boundary and Water Commission.
It will be administered as part of Joint Base San Antonio.
"Joint Task Force-Southern Border (JTF-SB) service members, under the direction of USNORTHCOM, will operate within the NDA," the statement added. "Their responsibilities include enhanced detection and monitoring through stationary positions and mobile patrols, temporarily detaining trespassers until they are transferred to the appropriate law enforcement authorities, and supporting the installation of temporary barriers, and signage to secure the area."
It's the latest in a series of NDAs established to strengthen interagency coordination and bolster security operations along the U.S. southern border.
The Defense Department explained that the program includes enhanced detection and monitoring through stationary positions and mobile patrols, which will temporarily detain trespassers until they are transferred to the appropriate law enforcement authorities.
The NDA was just one element of the militarization of the borderlands. The Trump administration has deployed equipment normally used in war to support its $525 million border operations, including surveillance systems and dozens of 20-ton armored Stryker combat vehicles.
The Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) reported in May that fewer people have been caught attempting to cross the U.S.-Mexico border between ports of entry since February.
The American Homefront Project's Carlos Morales contributed to this report.
