US Troops Make First Detention in Trump's Border Military Zone

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The US troops have made their first detention within the military area established at the US-Mexico border. As reported by Arab News on Monday, June 9, 2025, this is part of the tough measures of President Donald Trump's administration against illegal immigration, said the US Army.

The news about detentions within the military area emerged as Trump deployed National Guard troops based in the state to Los Angeles during protests against immigration raids.

The previously unprecedented military area along the 418-kilometer border in New Mexico and Texas was declared as an expansion of the US Army base by Defense Minister Pete Hegseth. This allows troops to temporarily detain migrants and other civilian violators.

Three 'illegal immigrants' were detained by troops in the New Mexico area near Santa Teresa on June 3, before being handed over to the US Border Patrol. This was revealed by US Army spokesperson Major Geoffrey Carmichael in an email.

"This marks the first time US Department of Defense personnel have recorded temporary detentions within the National Defense Area," Carmichael said.

The main role of the troops in the zone is to detect and track illegal border crossers, with about 390 detections so far, said the US Army.

The US president has long used active duty and reserve troops at international borders in support roles such as surveillance and construction for the US Border Patrol.

Trump took a further step in military use by granting the authority to detain border crossers they capture in the zone until civilian law enforcement takes over detentions.

Federal troops can also search people and conduct crowd control actions within the area, according to the US Army.

The designation of the zone as a military base enables troops to detain migrants without having to enforce the Insurrection Act. The 1807 law allows the US president to deploy federal troops domestically to suppress events like civil disorder.

The prosecution of dozens of migrants captured in the zone has suffered setbacks in court, as judges in New Mexico and Texas dismissed violation charges. The court actually acquitted a Peruvian woman because she did not know she had entered a restricted area.

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