New Military Zones Heighten Immigration Enforcement at US-Mexico Border

The U.S. military has designated a new military zone along the Texas-New Mexico border to temporarily detain migrants, as part of President Trump's aggressive immigration enforcement. This follows the creation of a similar zone in New Mexico, with both designed to bypass the Insurrection Act.

The U.S. military has expanded its presence along the border with Mexico by establishing a second military zone in Texas, designed for the temporary detention of migrants. This move comes after the designation of a similar area in New Mexico last month.

Since taking office, President Donald Trump has been vigorous in his immigration policies, increasing troop deployment at the southern border and promising mass deportations. In April, the Trump administration marked a 170-square-mile area in New Mexico as a "National Defense Area." This week, a new "Texas National Defense Area" was announced, covering a 63-mile strip from the Texas-New Mexico border in El Paso.

The initiative aims to use military forces for detaining migrants without invoking the 1807 Insurrection Act. Despite 82 migrants being charged for crossing the New Mexico zone, all were handled by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. However, critics, including New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, oppose the zones, citing them as resource-wasteful and imposing risks on civilians.

(With inputs from agencies.)