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Trump administration moves to set up militarized zone on California-Mexico border

/ AP

The Trump administration announced plans Wednesday to add another militarized zone to the southern border — this time in California — as part of a major shift that has thrust troops into border enforcement with Mexico like never before.

The Department of Interior said it would transfer jurisdiction along most of California's border with Mexico to the Navy to reinforce "the historic role public lands have played in safeguarding national sovereignty."

The Interior Department described the newest national defense area in California as a high-traffic zone for unlawful crossings by immigrants. But Border Patrol arrests along the southern U.S. border this year have dropped to the slowest pace since the 1960s amid President Trump's push for mass deportations.

The move places long stretches of the border under the supervision of nearby military bases, empowering U.S. troops to detain people who enter the country illegally and sidestep a law prohibiting military involvement in civilian law enforcement. It is done under the authority of the national emergency on the border declared by Mr. Trump on his first day in office.

The military strategy was pioneered in April along a 170-mile stretch of the border in New Mexico and later expanded to portions of the border in Texas and Arizona.

The newly designated militarized zone extends nearly from the Arizona state line to the Otay Mountain Wilderness, traversing the Imperial Valley and border communities including the unincorporated community of Tecate, California, across the border from the Mexican city with the same name.

More than 7,000 troops have been deployed to the border, along with an assortment of helicopters, drones and surveillance equipment.

The zones allow U.S. troops to apprehend immigrants and others who are accused of trespassing on Army, Air Force or Navy bases. Those apprehended also could face additional criminal charges that can mean prison time.

U.S. authorities say the zones are needed to close gaps in border enforcement and help in the wider fight against human smuggling networks and brutal drug cartels.

"By working with the Navy to close long-standing security gaps, we are strengthening national defense, protecting our public lands from unlawful use, and advancing the President's agenda," Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said in a news release.

The new militarized zone was announced the same day a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to end the deployment of California National Guard troops in Los Angeles and return control of those troops to the state.

The state sued after Mr. Trump called up more than 4,000 California National Guard troops in June without Gov. Gavin Newsom's approval to further the Trump administration's immigration enforcement efforts.

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