The United States Navy announced the establishment of a new National Defense Area along the border between Mexico and the United States; now, 51 kilometers of the boundary zone between Sonora and Arizona are under the supervision of the armed forces.
The Yuma Defense Area extends into lands adjacent to the Barry Goldwater Air Force Range, which is located about 100 kilometers from the border between Sonoyta, Sonora, and Lukeville, Arizona.
Elements of the Joint Task Force–Southwest Border will conduct patrols, temporarily detain individuals found in the area without authorization, and carry out the construction, maintenance, and reinforcement of the border wall with Mexico.
The NDAs (National Defense Areas) allow U.S. armed forces to operate with military authority on civilian or federal lands, without the need to declare an emergency zone or special mobilization.
Context: What is a National Defense Area?
On April 18, the administration of Donald Trump announced the creation of National Defense Areas (NDAs) in New Mexico and Texas. In those territories, under the command of U.S. Northern Command, the military has border control and oversees the operations of the Border Patrol and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agents.
NDAs are categorized as military installations, meaning that anyone entering them faces additional penalties on top of those for crossing the border without permission.
A 274-kilometer stretch of the border, known as the Roosevelt Reservation in New Mexico, was transferred to the Department of Defense and is now considered an extension of Fort Huachuca.
The one in Texas stretches from El Paso to Fort Hancock.
Why are these zones being created?
The reason for assigning these areas to the military, according to the U.S. government, is to "close critical security gaps" in places where terrain or lack of infrastructure facilitates illegal crossings, human trafficking, or drug smuggling.
Although security is the official justification, civil organizations have warned about human rights risks, pointing out that these zones may serve as legal gray areas where exceptional measures are applied without clear civilian oversight.
A militarized border
Since Donald Trump took office, U.S. Northern Command has been responsible for protecting the country's “territorial integrity.”
Signs in English and Spanish have been posted along these stretches to indicate that the area is under U.S. military jurisdiction, and to warn that intruders will be detained.
Surveillance reduces migration
From October 2024 to May 2025, 41,962 people were apprehended in the El Paso sector, compared to 256,032 during the same period in the previous fiscal year, and 427,471 in 2023, according to Claudio Herrera, supervising agent of the Border Patrol in the El Paso sector.
(The U.S. fiscal year begins in October and ends in September, so fiscal year 2025 ends in three months.)
Statistics from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) reveal that more than 176,000 Mexicans have been deported from the U.S. due to various violations of the law—ranging from immigration status irregularities to criminal convictions.
The data shows that in fiscal year 2023 (October 2022 to September 2023), 54,056 Mexican citizens were deported; in 2024, that number rose to 87,298; and so far in 2025, 35,084 people have been expelled.
The United States has established a new National Defense Area (NDA) along the Arizona–Sonora border, overseen by the Navy and U.S. Northern Command. This area — spanning roughly 140 to 160 km adjacent to MCAS Yuma and the Barry M. Goldwater Range — allows the military to conduct patrols, temporarily detain unauthorized individuals, and reinforce border infrastructure without declaring a state of emergency.
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