In a sweeping directive issued Friday, President Donald Trump ordered the U.S. military to assume control over a stretch of federal land spanning California, Arizona, and New Mexico in an aggressive move to curb illegal immigration and bolster border security.
The presidential memorandum, titled “Military Mission for Sealing the Southern Border of the United States and Repelling Invasions,” authorizes the Department of Defense to take jurisdiction over select federal lands—excluding Indian Reservations—deemed necessary for military operations.
This includes the historically significant Roosevelt Reservation, a 60-foot-wide strip along the southern border established in 1907 by President Theodore Roosevelt to enhance national security.
Trump’s directive involves turning portions of that land into designated “National Defense Areas,” effectively transforming them into military installations where activities such as border-barrier construction and the deployment of surveillance and detection systems will take place.
“Our southern border is under attack from a variety of threats,” Trump wrote. “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 memorandum tasks the Secretaries of Defense, Interior, Agriculture, and Homeland Security with coordinating the land transfer and managing logistics to support military operations. It grants the Defense Department broad authority to determine what actions are “reasonably necessary and appropriate” to fulfill the mission.
The move reflects Trump’s ongoing campaign promise to crack down on illegal immigration and strengthen U.S. border enforcement. Within the early months of his presidency, he has consistently pushed for stricter border control measures, including the construction of a border wall and large-scale deportations.
Critics are likely to see the order as a controversial escalation of military involvement in domestic immigration enforcement. However, the administration insists that the measure is essential for national security and restoring control over the southern border.