The U.S. Army will take control of federal land along the southern border for the next three years, according to the Interior Department.
The Interior Department announced on Tuesday that it will hand over control of nearly 110,000 acres of federal land along the U.S.–Mexico border to the Army in an effort to deter illegal border crossings.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum announced the emergency transfer during his visit to New Mexico on April 15, granting the Army control of the border zone for three years, according to the department’s statement.
The transfer of administrative jurisdiction of these lands, the department said, is intended to help the government protect sensitive natural and cultural resources in the region while enabling the Army to support U.S. Border Patrol operations in securing the border.
“Securing our border and protecting our nation’s resources go hand in hand,” Burgum said in the statement. “The American people gave President Trump a mandate to make America safe and strong again.”
The department stated that the Army had requested the transfer on “an emergency basis” to allow for an increase in regular patrols by federal personnel and to enable the construction of infrastructure aimed at curbing illegal entry into the country.
It added that the transfer would enable “military engagement” to prevent illegal activity in “ecologically sensitive areas” and help the Border Patrol to build border security infrastructure without delays or conflicts over land use.
The department acknowledged that some of the land transferred is vital to the livelihoods of local communities and assured that the Bureau of Land Management will work with the Army to ensure that “some uses” of the land, such as local grazing and mining, could continue.
The transfer follows a memorandum issued by President Donald Trump last week that authorizes the military to take control of the land to curb illegal immigration and drug trafficking.
“Our southern border is under attack from a variety of threats,” Trump wrote in the April 11 memo. “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.”
