Overview
- The Interior Department granted the U.S. Navy three-year jurisdiction over roughly 760 acres along the California–Mexico line to establish a National Defense Area.
- The designated stretch runs nearly from the Arizona state border to the Otay Mountain Wilderness, crossing the Imperial Valley and border communities including Tecate.
- The move extends a months-long strategy that has put more than 7,000 troops and extensive air and surveillance assets on the southern border.
- The zones place long segments of the boundary under nearby military bases, allowing troops to apprehend people accused of trespassing on base property, while legal experts say the approach defies the ban on military law enforcement on U.S. soil.
- A federal court order curbing Guard deployments coincides with Interior’s description of the area as a high-traffic crossing zone, even as Border Patrol arrests have fallen to their slowest pace since the 1960s.