The Trump administration is deliberating on the establishment of a militarized buffer zone along the New Mexico segment of the southern border. The proposal entails the positioning of active-duty U.S. troops at this “military installation,” who would be authorized to apprehend unlawful border crossers, as reported by the Washington Post.

In discussions for the plan, soldiers could legally detain migrants who venture onto the extended base, effectively offering an alternative to the Posse Comitatus Act— a federal statute that restricts soldiers from participating in civil law enforcement operations.

Calls for militarizing the southern border are not novel. As early as 2022, Arizona Senate candidate Blake Masters ran a campaign ad endorsing this very approach.

Additionally, back in 2018, Trump declared during a meeting with then-defense secretary Jim Mattis that the military would be securing the border. Despite initial reports, the proposal was never fully implemented. Later, Mattis defended the limited troop presence at the border.

In contrary to those times, with a change in personnel, the current defense secretary, a former TV host, may be less likely to resist redirecting military resources for domestic law enforcement.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/19/trump-new-mexico-militarized-border