The military lies east of New Mexico and extends to El Paso, Texas.
The United States announced the creation of a second military zone along its southern border with Mexico on Thursday, further expanding the presence of the military in the region.
Called the “Texas Defense Region,” it was announced late May 1st, and is a 63-mile stretch running east of El Paso’s Texas New Mexico Line.
The creation of the zone follows the creation of the first military zone in April along a 60-foot wide corridor known as the Roosevelt Reservation. The corridor runs along the borders of New Mexico, Arizona and California.
According to court documents filed April 28, the United States has launched criminal prosecution for 28 illegal immigrants on charges of breaking into a new military zone, accusing them of “violating security regulations,” and entering a “restricted and controlled” New Mexico defense zone on top of illegal entry.
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“If you tried to avoid it, it’s just you avoid law enforcement, just like any other military base,” he added. “You can add charges of what can be charged with a misdemeanor or felony and see up to 10 years in prison when you’re indicted.”
The U.S. Lawyer’s Office said 82 illegal immigrants were accused of crossing into the New Mexico military zone. The federal government announced in March that the number of illegal immigrant intersections had fallen to the lowest ever recorded.
New Mexico Governor Michel Lejean Grisham calls her “deportation buffer zone” and “a waste of resources and military personnel, especially when the intersection of immigration is at its lowest in decades.”
Approximately 11,900 troops are stationed at the border. According to the Department of Defense, the US Customs and Border Patrol has jurisdiction over illegal border intersections. The military will be detained and handed over illegal immigrants to the US Border Patrol.
Aldgra Fredy and Reuters contributed to this report.
