U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will process migrants detained within a newly established military zone spanning parts of Hidalgo and Cameron counties, the agency confirmed Monday.
Last week, the U.S. Air Force announced that 250 miles of borderlands—previously under the jurisdiction of the International Boundary and Water Commission—have now been incorporated into Joint Base San Antonio, which is located roughly 250 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border.
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Military Authority and Federal Processing
According to Hidalgo County Judge Richard Cortez, military officials now have the authority to arrest individuals for trespassing on what is now designated military property. However, these individuals will be handed over to other federal agencies—primarily CBP—for immigration processing.
“All 9 stations in the RGV Sector are equipped with processing facilities,” said Border Patrol spokeswoman Christina Smallwood.
“The RGV Sector also has a Centralized Processing Center.”
Cortez clarified that the transfer of land was made between federal entities to create a new National Defense Area, finalized on Wednesday by the General Services Administration. He noted that he was not informed in advance of the move.
Privately Owned Land Raises Concerns
Despite the federal land shift, much of the territory in Hidalgo and Cameron counties remains privately owned. A 2019 Texas Land Trends report from Texas A&M found that:
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Hidalgo County had nearly 300,000 privately owned parcels, with 5,600 located within a mile of the Rio Grande.
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Cameron County had about 175,000 privately owned parcels, with over 24,000 within a mile of the river.
Individuals caught on these lands without authorization can be charged with criminal trespassing, a misdemeanor punishable by up to 18 months in prison.
National Strategy and Expanded Military Zones
The new military zone aligns with the Trump administration’s push to tighten border security and block all unauthorized entries into the U.S. It adds to two National Defense Areas designated earlier in April, stretching from Hudspeth County to El Paso and along the New Mexico-Arizona border.
The military plans to install signage clearly marking the lands in the Rio Grande Valley that now fall under military jurisdiction.
Border Report Live: “You cannot cross through here” — a message soon to be echoed across hundreds of miles of militarized land.
