Trump authorizes military to lock down border from illegal crossings

President Donald Trump issued a memorandum on Friday authorizing the military to protect the southern border from illegal crossing.

The presidential action, titled "Military Mission for Sealing the Southern Border of the United States and Repelling Invasions," directed the military to take temporary control of federal land, including the Roosevelt Reservation — a 60-foot-wide corridor that spans for miles along California, Arizona, and New Mexico.

The memo was issued to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Agricultural Secretary Brooke Rollins.

Trump directed the Cabinet members to "take all appropriate actions" to turn over jurisdiction of certain federal lands to the DOD so that it may construct border barriers and install detection and monitoring equipment.

The memo grants Hegseth the authority to "determine those military activities that are reasonably necessary and appropriate" to protect the country's territorial integrity. Hegseth was ordered to treat the areas as "military installations," allowing him to restrict access.

Under the action, troops stationed at the border are authorized to detain individuals illegally crossing the border.

"Our southern border is under attack from a variety of threats. 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 memo states.

As part of the plan's initial phase, the military will take control of "a limited sector of Federal lands designated by the Secretary of Defense."

"Within 45 days of the date of this memorandum, the Secretary of Defense shall assess this initial phase," it states. "At any time, the Secretary of Defense may extend activities under this memorandum to additional Federal lands along the southern border in coordination with the Secretary of Homeland Security, the Assistant to the President and Homeland Security Advisor, and other executive departments and agencies as appropriate."

While the Roosevelt Reservation was established by Theodore Roosevelt in 1907 to protect the country's border, immigration advocates argue that Trump's actions could be unlawful since the military is prohibited from participating in domestic law enforcement.

Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, a senior fellow at the American Immigration Council, accused the Trump administration of attempting to circumvent the law.

He wrote in a post on social media, "Welp they're doing the Roosevelt Reservation crazy strategy, giving the military 'jurisdiction' over a 60-foot-wide stretch of land from CA to AZ and then claim that migrants are being arrested for 'trespassing on military property' thus trying to bypass the Posse Commitatus (sic) Act."

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