The Trump administration announced plans Wednesday to add another militarized zone to the southern border — this time in California — as part of a major shift that has thrust troops into border enforcement with Mexico like never before.
The Department of the Interior said it would transfer jurisdiction along most of California’s border with Mexico to the Navy to reinforce “the historic role public lands have played in safeguarding national sovereignty.”
The Interior Department described the newest national defense area in California as a high-traffic zone for unlawful crossings by immigrants.
The move places long stretches of the border under the supervision of nearby military bases, empowering U.S. troops to detain people who enter the country illegally and sidestep a law prohibiting military involvement in civilian law enforcement.
It is done under the authority of the national emergency on the border declared by President Donald Trump on his first day in office.
The military strategy was pioneered in April along a 170-mile stretch of the border in New Mexico and later expanded to portions of the border in Texas and Arizona.
