Legal action against irregular immigrants trooping into the newly established military zone along the border between the U.S. and Mexico in El Paso has been initiated by the Trump administration. On May 27, a total of twenty-seven immigrants originating from Mexico, Guatemala, and El Salvador faced charges in the El Paso County Court. Their alleged offenses were intentionally violating the rules related to security of defense property and illegally trespassing a military establishment.
The commencement of levying charges against migrants happened in the early part of May, subsequent to the declaration of the Trump administration’s defense zone in El Paso County. However, the Defense Department recorded that only a meagre 54 intruders were intercepted by the Border Patrol within this defense zone.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas corroborated in a press statement that more than 340 culprits have been found guilty of violating the defense area’s norms. Those indicted with violating the military zone’s regulations have subsequently served their sentence and then been flagged for deportation.
Legal proceedings have also been initiated against those who entered the military zone in New Mexico, extending east 170 miles from El Paso to the Arizona border. As of May 23, the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico has listed charges against at least 600 individuals for trespassing into the National Defense Area in New Mexico.
Nevertheless, almost a hundred out of the total arrested in New Mexico for violating the defense zone saw their charges dismissed by a federal judge. Chief U.S. Magistrate Judge Gregory Wormuth concurred with the defense accounts that these individuals were unaware of their presence in a military zone, attributing the blunder to insufficient signage.
However, all the 98 individuals continue to carry charges for unauthorized entry into the United States and face the potential risk of deportation. Meanwhile, signs highlighting this militarized zone by the Trump administration started appearing along the border wall in El Paso, through to New Mexico, in early May.
The distinctive red and white warning sign came to public view during Defense Secretary’s tour of El Paso and the border wall. In both English and Spanish, the notice cautioned that unauthorized entry was strictly prohibited, as it was Department of Defense property.
The warning signs demarcating a 60-foot zone to the west of the border wall as a military area began to be posted. This military zone was introduced in the wake of President Donald Trump’s executive order on January 20, in which he proclaimed a national emergency along the southern border.
The establishment of the initial national defense area then went into effect in April. Spanning 170 miles from El Paso through New Mexico to the Arizona border, the area incorporates more than 100,000 acres of New Mexican land and extends a duration ranging between 60 feet and about 3.5 miles from the border. Moreover, active-duty U.S. soldiers and military equipment were positioned in the region.
Army personnel have the authority to seize any unauthorized individual crossing the border into U.S. territory until they can be transferred to the Border Patrol and immigration authorities. The proclamation of the second defense area proceeded on May 1, stretching 63 miles through El Paso County to Fort Hancock in Hudspeth County.
Incorporating 2,000 acres of land, the zone extends a distance between 130 and 1,000 feet from the boundary. However, the announcement regarding the enlargement of the military zone into El Paso County has been objected to by immigrant defense organizations operating along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Promotion of a welcoming, protective and inclusive spirit for immigrants and refugees has always been the objective of the Borderland community. The response to the creation of a military base meant for the sole purpose of prosecuting migrants was seen as a deep-seated insult to their local ethos, while escalating local dilemmas around migrant mortality.
Trump endorsed a memorandum allowing the U.S. military to exert control over federal territories at the southern border. The hard fact is that these types of ventures in border militarization seldom back out and become long-term features of the landscape, posing not just an inconvenience to local residents but also a significant challenge to the identity of the border community.
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