A group of illegal immigrants were detained in New Mexico for breaching a national defense area that was set up by the United States Army, according to a report from the Associated Press.
The Army created a “buffer zone” along 170 miles of the border with Mexico in cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
On Monday, federal prosecutors applied a charge for incursions into this defense area against illegal aliens who were detained by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
Reportedly, the charges against at least a half-dozen immigrants for unauthorized entry on military defense property were signed by U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison, an Alamogordo, New Mexico-native sworn into office April 18.
The Trump administration has promised to secure the southern border and to carry out mass deportations.
In a video posted to X earlier this month, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said that “If you try to come in illegally as a cartel, smuggle or traffic. You will be detained by the U.S. military.”
FACT. https://t.co/S3btXLebZ3
— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) April 25, 2025
“You’re standing on a national defense area. This may as well be a military base inside the United States of America,” he added, stating that attempts to enter this zone is equivalent to breaching a military base.
. @SecDef under the previous admin. “If you jumped over the border war, or you walked onto sovereign US soil, you were greeted probably with a blanket…
When @POTUS was elected he followed through on his promise and said we will get 100% OPERATIONAL CONTROL of the southern… pic.twitter.com/A7k2vBq9Jw
— DOD Rapid Response (@DODResponse) April 25, 2025
. @SecDef “You’re standing on a national defense area. This may as well be a military base inside the United States of America…
Any illegal that attempts to enter this zone is entering a MILITARY BASE. A federally protected area…
YOU WILL BE DETAINED.” pic.twitter.com/pZC0quabQh
— DOD Rapid Response (@DODResponse) April 25, 2025
It was an honor to visit our warfighters at the New Mexico National Defense Area.
Thanks to their work, the southern border is now the strongest and safest in American history. pic.twitter.com/YwlIOKxlhv
— Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (@SecDef) April 25, 2025
