About 450 U.S. Marines were deployed to the Joint Task Force-Southern Border in Yuma, Arizona, this month to boost security along the southern border, a task force spokesperson told Military Times Monday.
The move follows the Interior Department’s July announcement that it had transferred jurisdiction of around 285 acres of public land in Yuma County along the U.S.-Mexico border to the Navy Department for three years to establish a national defense area in support of border security operations.
The newly transferred Marines, from the 1st Combat Engineer Battalion garrisoned in Camp Pendleton, California, were assigned to the task force in support of the U.S. Border Patrol, the spokesperson said.
They will largely work on projects such as construction, barrier reinforcement, signage placement and road improvements, the spokesperson said.
The battalion is expected to be deployed for around six months, working along the entirety of the southern border.
JTF-SB assumed control of the southern border mission from Joint Task Force-North in March, overseeing the nearly 2,000-mile stretch along the U.S.-Mexico border from San Diego to McAllen, Texas.
The task force is headquartered at Fort Huachuca, Arizona, about 300 miles from Yuma, where this battalion of Marines is deployed.
“The transfer of authority and surge in deployed capabilities demonstrate the Department of Defense’s continued commitment to supporting DHS and achieving full operational control of the southern border,” the U.S. Northern Command said in March, announcing the move.
The transfer allows the Navy to help U.S. Customs and Border Protection in securing the border and reducing “unlawful border traffic and its adverse effects on natural and cultural resources,” the Interior Department said in July.
Deployment of Marines for southern border security is not new under President Donald Trump’s second administration.
Shortly after Trump’s inauguration in January, The Defense Department made southern border security a priority following Trump’s late January “Protecting the American people against invasion” executive order.
There are currently approximately 8,500 total service members assigned to JTF-SB working along the stretch, the spokesperson said.
Before Trump’s order, about 2,500 service members were assigned to the southern border.
According to an August Customs and Border Protection press release, the zone’s designation as a national defense area allows military personnel to temporarily detain people who allegedly enter the restricted area unlawfully.
The detainees are to then be turned over to U.S. Border Patrol agents to possibly face criminal charges for defense property regulations, military property trespassing and other charges, per the August release.
This area in Yuma is similar to those already established in Texas and Mexico, the August statement says.
Since the national defense area designation, service members in different task forces have joined ongoing operations in the Yuma sector.
Cristina Stassis is an editorial fellow for Defense News and Military Times, where she covers stories surrounding the defense industry, national security, military/veteran affairs and more. She is currently studying journalism and mass communication and international affairs at the George Washington University.
