Latest news with #FortBlissArmy
Yahoo
03-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Sheinbaum says she rejected Trump's offer to send US troops to Mexico
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum says she rejected an offer from her United States counterpart, Donald Trump, to send US troops to Mexico to help combat drug trafficking. Speaking at a public event on Saturday, Sheinbaum said Trump had asked her during a call how he could help fight organised crime and suggested sending US troops. The Mexican leader said she declined, telling Trump, 'We will never accept the presence of the United States army in our territory.' 'I told him, 'No, President Trump, our territory is inviolable, our sovereignty is inviolable, our sovereignty is not for sale,'' Sheinbaum said. Her comments come a day after the Wall Street Journal reported that Trump was pressuring Mexico to allow 'deeper US military involvement' in the fight against drug cartels. Citing unnamed people familiar with the matter, the news outlet said 'tension rose' during an April 16 call between the two leaders as Trump 'pushed to have US armed forces take a leading role in battling Mexican drug gangs that produce and smuggle fentanyl to the US'.Since taking office in January, Trump has repeatedly hit out at Mexico and the US's other neighbour, Canada, over drug trafficking. He has accused the two countries of allowing illegal drugs, most notably fentanyl, to flow over their borders into the US. Trump's administration has also tied its push to impose steep tariffs on Mexican and Canadian goods to fentanyl trafficking, among other factors. On Saturday, Sheinbaum said she had offered to collaborate with the US during her talks with Trump, including through greater information-sharing. At the same time, the Mexican president said she had urged Trump to stop the cross-border arms trafficking that has contributed to a wave of violence that has killed more than 450,000 in Mexico over nearly two decades. She added that Trump issued an order on Friday 'to ensure that everything necessary is in place to prevent weapons from entering our country from the United States'.Meanwhile, Trump has continued to push forward with his plan to carry out the 'largest deportation operation' in US history, despite several legal challenges against his hardline anti-immigration policies. The US Department of Defense said earlier this week that it designated a second stretch on the border with Mexico as a military zone to enforce immigration laws. The newest area is in the US state of Texas and is attached to the Fort Bliss Army base in El Paso. Like the first zone established last month in New Mexico, military personnel are authorised to take custody of migrants who irregularly cross the border until they are transferred to civilian authorities in the US Department of Homeland Security.
Hamilton Spectator
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Hamilton Spectator
Defense Department designates a second military zone on US border, extending into Texas
EL PASO, Texas (AP) — The Defense Department said Thursday that it has designated a second stretch on the U.S. border with Mexico as a military zone to enforce immigration laws. The newest area is in Texas and is attached to the Fort Bliss Army base in El Paso. Like the first zone established last month in New Mexico, military personnel are authorized to take custody of migrants who illegally cross the border until they are transferred to civilian authorities in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. 'The establishment of a second National Defense Area increases our operational reach and effectiveness in denying illegal activity along the southern border,' said Gen. Gregory Guillot, commander of the U.S. Northern Command. In New Mexico, people who entered the U.S. illegally were charged Monday with breaching a national defense area after the Army assumed oversight of a 170-mile (274-kilometer) strip that is treated as an extension of U.S. Army Garrison Fort Huachuca, Arizona. A press release from the military didn't say how large the second zone in Texas was and officials were unavailable to comment on its dimensions Thursday night. Border crossers in the military zones face potential prosecutions on two federal crimes — entering the U.S. illegally and trespassing on military property. The moves come as President Donald Trump's administration has deployed thousands of troops to the border and arrests have plunged to the lowest levels since the mid-1960s. The military zones have allow the federal government to escape the reach of an 1878 law that prohibits military involvement in civilian law enforcement. 'Any illegal attempting to enter that zone is entering a military base, a federally protected area,' Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on a recent visit to New Mexico. 'You will be interdicted by U.S. troops and Border Patrol.'
The Independent
02-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Defense Department designates a second military zone on US border, extending into Texas
The Defense Department said Thursday that it has designated a second stretch on the U.S. border with Mexico as a military zone to enforce immigration laws. The newest area is in Texas and is attached to the Fort Bliss Army base in El Paso. Like the first zone established last month in New Mexico, military personnel are authorized to take custody of migrants who illegally cross the border until they are transferred to civilian authorities in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. 'The establishment of a second National Defense Area increases our operational reach and effectiveness in denying illegal activity along the southern border,' said Gen. Gregory Guillot, commander of the U.S. Northern Command. In New Mexico, people who entered the U.S. illegally were charged Monday with breaching a national defense area after the Army assumed oversight of a 170-mile (274-kilometer) strip that is treated as an extension of U.S. Army Garrison Fort Huachuca, Arizona. A press release from the military didn't say how large the second zone in Texas was and officials were unavailable to comment on its dimensions Thursday night. Border crossers in the military zones face potential prosecutions on two federal crimes — entering the U.S. illegally and trespassing on military property. The moves come as President Donald Trump's administration has deployed thousands of troops to the border and arrests have plunged to the lowest levels since the mid-1960s. The military zones have allow the federal government to escape the reach of an 1878 law that prohibits military involvement in civilian law enforcement. 'Any illegal attempting to enter that zone is entering a military base, a federally protected area,' Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on a recent visit to New Mexico. 'You will be interdicted by U.S. troops and Border Patrol."
Associated Press
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
Defense Department designates a second military zone on US border, extending into Texas
EL PASO, Texas (AP) — The Defense Department said Thursday that it has designated a second stretch on the U.S. border with Mexico as a military zone to enforce immigration laws. The newest area is in Texas and is attached to the Fort Bliss Army base in El Paso. Like the first zone established last month in New Mexico, military personnel are authorized to take custody of migrants who illegally cross the border until they are transferred to civilian authorities in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. 'The establishment of a second National Defense Area increases our operational reach and effectiveness in denying illegal activity along the southern border,' said Gen. Gregory Guillot, commander of the U.S. Northern Command. In New Mexico, people who entered the U.S. illegally were charged Monday with breaching a national defense area after the Army assumed oversight of a 170-mile (274-kilometer) strip that is treated as an extension of U.S. Army Garrison Fort Huachuca, Arizona. A press release from the military didn't say how large the second zone in Texas was and officials were unavailable to comment on its dimensions Thursday night. Border crossers in the military zones face potential prosecutions on two federal crimes — entering the U.S. illegally and trespassing on military property. The moves come as President Donald Trump's administration has deployed thousands of troops to the border and arrests have plunged to the lowest levels since the mid-1960s. The military zones have allow the federal government to escape the reach of an 1878 law that prohibits military involvement in civilian law enforcement. 'Any illegal attempting to enter that zone is entering a military base, a federally protected area,' Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on a recent visit to New Mexico. 'You will be interdicted by U.S. troops and Border Patrol.'
