How much of the U.S. Mexico border has been militarized?
Critical Analysis
Find answers to the following questions using the visual above, any links below, your big brain, and your knowledge of American government and politics:
According to the visual above, the Roosevelt Reservation is in how many states?
According to the visual above, how many feet deep is the Roosevelt Reservation?
What cities will be most impacted by the Roosevelt Reservation?
About how much of the Roosevelt Reservation abuts the border fence/wall?
President Donald Trump late Friday signed a presidential memorandum: Military Mission for Sealing the Southern Border of the United States and Repelling Invasions - directing several agencies to start militarizing a stretch of the southern border, an escalation of the administration’s use of the U.S. military amid its immigration crackdown. March apprehensions at the southern border are at a generational low. Why do you think President Trump is characterizing what is happening at the border as an invasion?
The move could potentially put U.S. military members in direct contact with migrants, a possible violation of federal law. By creating a military buffer zone that stretches across the U.S.-Mexico border in Arizona, California and New Mexico, it means any migrant crossing into the United States would be trespassing on a military base, therefore allowing active-duty troops to hold them until U.S. Border Patrol agents arrive. National and military experts have raised concerns that giving control over the land to the military could violate the Posse Comitatus Act, an 1878 law that generally prohibits the military from being used in domestic law enforcement. Do you think the military should be involved in domestic law enforcement?
The strip of border land is located within the Roosevelt Reservation—federal land designated for border security by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1907. While the Interior Department typically oversees the land, temporary jurisdiction of the Roosevelt Reservation has previously been transferred to the Pentagon, including during Trump's first term, to aid border wall construction. The reservation is distinct from other federal lands because it was designated explicitly for border enforcement, allowing for infrastructure projects such as fences, roads and surveillance systems without requiring new land acquisitions. Why do you think Trump wants to transfer control of the Roosevelt Reservation from the Interior to Defense Department?
Friday’s announcement comes ahead of a report that is due to Trump by April 20 from the secretaries of Defense and Homeland Security with recommendations on whether or not to use the Insurrection Act of 1807 to aid in mass deportations. Roughly one-third of U.S. adults (32%) say all immigrants living in the country illegally should be deported, Explain your opinion on mass deportation?
In additional security measures, according to military.com, the U.S. Navy plans to deploy a second guided-missile destroyer to patrol waters off the U.S.-Mexico border by the end of this week, following the recent deployment of the USS Gravely. Donald Trump has been very successful at slowing immigration to the United States. Describe some costs of slowing immigration.
Immigration was one of the biggest issues that helped Trump win the 2024 election. Since Trump took office he has signed five executive orders that lay out the use of military forces within the U.S. borders and extend other executive powers to speed up the president’s immigration crackdown. In the long term do you think that Trump’s crackdown will prove to be popular?
Write and Discuss
Take ten minutes to write about the question at the top of the page and then discuss with your classmates.
Act on your Learning
Contact the President and let him know what you think about militarizing the Southern border.
Get Creative
What do you think the U.S. will militarize next?
