The Trump administration announced on Wednesday that it plans to create a military base along the US-Mexico border in California to support border security operations aimed at curbing government migration.
Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum said in a written statement that the agency plans to transfer about 760 acres of land to San Diego and to remove the defense zone across the country to support border operations.
It is the first time in decades that a nationwide transfer of the public from the federal government to the military has established a high-level area along the US-Mexico border in California.
But the Trump administration has taken similar actions elsewhere along the border this year — including in New Mexico, Arizona and Texas — as part of a larger campaign that includes sending thousands of troops and military equipment to the area. Border crossings have struck new chords since Trump took office. In September, the Southwest border closed 11,647, compared to 101,790 in the same month in 2024.
Some local officials expressed concern about the move.
San Diego County Supervisor Chairwoman Terra Lawson-Remer said the Federal government’s action is unnecessary, unwanted and threatens basic principles such as the rule of law and civil liberties that are essential to democracy.
“Honestly, this is, this is a sad, political act designed to distract from the costliest tragedy that Americans face every single day in the grocery store and in our daily lives,” he said.
US Rep. Juan Vargas (D-San Diego), whose district covers part of the US-Mexico border, is blocking Trump from moving.
“I am deeply concerned about the repeated attempts to blur the lines between military and immigration enforcement, and this is the latest example,” Travgas said. “None of this makes us safe as a nation. It’s all about a show of force to terrorize immigrants and our communities.
Tom Hawk, chair of the Imperial County Board of Supervisors, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The administration’s departure could end up being another flashpoint between California and Trump over immigration policies. In June, Trump began a public crackdown in Los Angeles on undocumented workers, sending heavily armed, heavily decorated agents into the city to pick up undocumented workers wherever they could be found. After the attack was met with large demonstrations, the administration ordered the national guard and the Americans to the city, increasing the tension between the residents and the regulation and starting legal battles that continued for months.
A federal judge ruled Wednesday that the Trump Administration must end the deployment of the National Guard to Los Angeles.
Burgum said Wednesday that the New California Zone is about protecting the border.
“President Trump has made it clear that securing our border and restoring American sovereignty is a top national priority,” Burgum said. “By working with the Navy to close long-standing security gaps, we are strengthening the nation’s defenses, protecting our civilian homelands from illegal use, and advancing the President’s agenda to put the safety of the American people first.”
Burgum said the new war zone would extend one mile west of the California-Arizona state line to the western edge of the Otay Mountain Wilderness. The public land was reserved by President Theodore Roosevelt for border protection purposes.
Human rights groups say the national security zones pose new threats to future generations and American citizens. The American Civil Liberties Union said citizens were arrested and charged. At the time, the alleged falsehood was that being in the country illegally could face other criminal charges such as unauthorized entry into military property and willful violation of security regulations.
The Associated Press has reported the move to empower the US military to detain immigrants and others suspected of being illegal in the military, navy or other criminal charges that could mean prison time.
Burgum said his agency and the US Navy coordinated closely to ensure the action was legal and targeted.
