>> Continued From the Previous Page <<
“Two weeks ago we were down on the border when we established the first national defense area. Basically, think about the border, it’s similar to a military installation. If you trespass, you will be charged,” Hegseth said.
The Department of Defense has reportedly deployed over 2,000 troops to these areas and installed more than 1,300 signs warning would-be trespassers of the severe legal repercussions. Fort Huachuca alone has already seen more than 80 migrants prosecuted under Title 50, a federal law that criminalizes unauthorized entry onto military property.
Hegseth further outlined the growing enforcement actions, noting that entering a National Defense Area can result in up to 10 years in prison for those who damage government property or engage in other illegal acts.
“So the border space that DOD is allowed to take actions inside is growing and growing,” Hegseth explained. “But so are the prosecutions. And that’s what I want to remind any illegal thinking about entering our country. Combined charges to illegal aliens entering the national defense areas and damaging any government property, which is basically what happens when you trespass, could get a total of up to 10 years in prison.”
He continued by stressing that even crossing into these restricted zones can lead to immediate criminal charges, with the Department of Justice already filing over 100 cases against border trespassers.
“You do other things, could be even more. So far, DOJ has already charged more than 100 illegal aliens with these crimes. That number will continue to climb. The number of national defense areas will continue to climb. The barbed wire will climb. The troops will climb because we’re gonna get 100 percent operational control of the border. And when you cross illegally, you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law by the Department of Justice.”
Hegseth made it clear that the days of drug cartels and human smugglers exploiting lightly defended stretches of the border are over, adding that U.S. troops now have expanded authority to assist Border Patrol in detaining and processing illegal aliens.
“You see, back in the day when the cartels would look across the border, if they saw camouflage, you know, guys with binoculars, they knew that was somewhere they could cross because the military didn’t have the authorities to actually detain temporarily. Now we do,” Hegseth stated.
The Defense Department’s escalating military presence at the border signals a clear shift in strategy as the Biden administration seeks to regain control over the nation’s southern border amid a surge in illegal crossings and rising political pressure to address the crisis.
