Latest news with #JointTaskForceSouthernBorder
Fox News
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Fox News
Pentagon unveils new medal for troops deployed in Trump's southern border crackdown
The Pentagon has created a new medal for service members who've deployed to the southern border to assist federal law enforcement with President Donald Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration. The Pentagon unveiled plans for a Mexican Border Defense Medal for U.S. troops serving with Joint Task Force Southern Border, according to a new memo the Pentagon released Aug.13 that was shared on social media. A U.S. defense official confirmed the authenticity of the memo to Fox News Digital Wednesday. Now, service members will receive the Mexican Border Defense Medal (MBDM) instead of the Armed Forces Service Medal (AFSM) like they previously earned for supporting Customs and Border Protection at the border, the memo said. The Armed Forces Service Medal, originally created in 1996 by former President Bill Clinton, is awarded to troops who have participated in a military operation with "significant activity," but didn't encounter foreign armed opposition or imminent hostile action, according to a U.S. Army description of the medal. The Pentagon said in July that approximately 8,500 military personnel are assigned to Joint Task Force Southern Border, and have been tasked with responding to security threats there. The task force got underway in March and completed approximately 3,500 patrols between then and July, according to the Pentagon. Those eligible for the award must have deployed since Jan. 20 to support Customs and Border Protection, and served within 100-nautical miles from the international border shared with Mexico in either Texas, New Mexico, Arizona or California. Those who've also served in adjacent waters up to 24 nautical miles away from the border also are eligible. "Service members must have been permanently assigned, attached, or detailed to a unit that deployed to participate in a designated DoD military operation supporting CBP within the (area of eligibility) during the (period of award) for 30 consecutive or nonconsecutive days," the memo said. Those who already have received the Armed Forces Service Medal for service at the southern border may appeal to receive the new award but are ineligible to receive both, according to the Pentagon. "Service members and Veterans previously awarded the AFSM for DoD support to CBP may apply to their respective Military Service for award of the MBDM in lieu of the AFSM previously awarded to recognize such service; however, no Service member or Veteran may be awarded both the AFSM and the MBDM for the same period of qualifying service," the memo said. The Pentagon, per the direction of the president, has established four national defense areas along the border, bolstering U.S. troops' capacity to assist Customs and Border Protection under the task force. The national defense areas operate under military jurisdiction, paving the way for U.S. troops to detain trespassers. Without placing these stretches of land under military jurisdiction, U.S. troops were barred from doing so under existing federal law. "Through these enhanced authorities, U.S. Northern Command will ensure those who illegally trespass in the New Mexico National Defense Area are handed over to Customs and Border Protection or our other law enforcement partners," Air Force Gen. Gregory Guillot, commander of U.S. Northern Command, said in an April statement. "Joint Task Force Southern Border will conduct enhanced detection and monitoring, which will include vehicle and foot patrols, rotary wing and fixed surveillance site operations."
Fox News
18-04-2025
- Fox News
Two Marines — both in their 20s — identified as service members killed in fatal accident
The two service members who passed away due to a crash near Santa Teresa, New Mexico earlier this week were 22-year-old Lance Cpl. Albert A. Aguilera of Riverside, California and 28-year-old Lance Cpl. Marcelino M. Gamino of Fresno, California, according to the 1st Marine Division "Officials with 1st Marine Division identified the two Marines who were killed after a vehicle accident April 15 while supporting Joint Task Force Southern Border operations," a press release states. "The crash occurred during a convoy movement near Santa Teresa, New Mexico." Both men were combat engineers, according to the April 17 press release, which also noted that another Marine was in critical condition and undergoing treatment. "The three Marines were transported to University Medical Hospital, El Paso, Texas, where Aguilar and Gamino were pronounced dead," the release indicated. "The incident is under investigation." The injured service member is with the 1st Combat Engineer Battalion, as were the two Marines who passed away, the 1st Marine Division reported. "The loss of Lance Cpl. Aguilera and Lance Cpl. Gamino is deeply felt by all of us," 1st Combat Engineer Battalion and Task Force Sapper commanding officer U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Col. Tyrone A. Barrion noted, according to the press release. "I extend my heartfelt condolences and prayers to the families of our fallen brothers. Our top priority right now is to ensure that their families, and the Marines affected by their passing, are fully supported during this difficult time." Fox News Digital reached out to the 1st Marine Division on Friday but did not receive a response by the time of publication. Defense Sec. Pete Hegseth commented on the tragic deaths of the two service members earlier this week. "I am very saddened to learn of the tragic accident yesterday that took the lives of two of our nation's heroes and seriously injured another. My heartfelt condolences and prayers are with them, their families, and the unit," Hegseth noted in a Wednesday post on X.
Boston Globe
16-04-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Two US troops deployed for border mission killed in vehicle rollover
Advertisement 'My heartfelt condolences and prayers are with them, their families, and the unit,' Hegseth wrote. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Sean Parnell, a spokesperson for Hegseth, could not be reached for comment. Neither could authorities in Doña Ana County, where the accident occurred. Joint Task Force Southern Border, which oversees the military's border mission from Fort Huachuca in Arizona, said in its statement that the identities of the deceased service members were being withheld until their families were notified. The accident occurred as thousands of active-duty US troops fan out from the Pacific Ocean to Texas as Trump seeks to seal the southern border to illegal crossings. While the Marines have primarily been concentrated in California, those involved Tuesday were assigned on a reconnaissance mission, as the Defense Department seeks to improve its understanding of the region, one of the defense officials said. Advertisement The Trump administration has signaled it intends to give the US military an even larger role at the southern border. On Tuesday, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum traveled to New Mexico to transfer control of about 110,000 acres of federally controlled land to the Defense Department, allowing the US military to take a more active role in aiding law enforcement responsible for detaining illegal crossers. The plan to do so was first reported by The Washington Post last month and approved by Trump last week, effectively turning a 60-foot-wide strip of land along the border, known as the Roosevelt Reservation, into a satellite military installation. Hegseth has enthusiastically embraced Trump's focus on the US-Mexico frontier, saying that after years of combat deployments overseas, it is time for the United States to protect its own boundaries. In February, he posted on social media that the administration is 'dead serious about 100% OPERATIONAL CONTROL of the southern border.'
The Hill
16-04-2025
- The Hill
Two service members killed in accident at US-Mexico border
Two U.S. service members were killed and a third is in 'serious condition' after being involved in a vehicle accident near the U.S.-Mexico border, the military said in a release on Tuesday night. The accident happened at around 8:50 a.m. local time Tuesday near Santa Teresa, N.M., the Joint Task Force Southern Border said. The cause of the accident is under investigation. The military did not release the names of the individuals involved. The military's Northern Command said the three service members were deployed to back the Joint Task Force Southern Border, which assumed control of the southern border mission on March 14. The members of the military were deployed in the area after President Trump's executive order 'Protecting the American People Against Invasion.' In early March, the Pentagon said it would send more than 5,000 troops to the U.S.-Mexico border. Stryker brigade combat team and a general support aviation battalion were dispatched, the Defense Department said at the time. The accident occurred near the Santa Teresa Border Patrol Station on Highway 9 at mile marker 115, KTSM reported. The three service members involved in the crash were Marines, The New York Times reported, citing a U.S. military official who spoke on the condition of anonymity. The Hill has reached out to the Marines for comment.
CNN
16-04-2025
- CNN
Two US service members assigned to southern border task force killed in vehicle accident
Two US service members were killed after their vehicle was involved in an accident Tuesday morning near the southern US border, the military said in a statement. The service members were 'deployed in support of Joint Task Force Southern Border,' US Northern Command said in the statement. A third service member is in serious condition at a local hospital, the military said. The cause of the accident, which occurred near the border town of Santa Teresa, New Mexico, is under investigation, the task force said in the statement. The military is withholding the names of the service members until the next of kin is notified. The Joint Task Force Southern Border – announced last month – was created 'to tactically synchronize the Department of Defense efforts to secure and seal the southern border,' according to a press release from USNORTHCOM. President Donald Trump mandated that the US military step up its presence along the southern border on his first day in office. Thousands of additional troops have been deployed to the border in recent months as part of his efforts to 'seal' the border to migrants. CNN recently reported that Trump sent a memorandum to four federal department heads last week, instructing them to allow the military to use and take jurisdiction of federal land along the US-Mexico border.
