The Department of Defense is establishing a massive military buffer zone in southern Texas in accordance with a presidential directive to bolster border security. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth directed the creation of a new military buffer zone — formally known as a National Defense Area — covering roughly 250 miles along the Rio Grande River in Hidalgo and Cameron Counties,

Amid the Trump administration's crackdown on immigration, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered the establishment of another buffer zone along the U.S.-Mexico border where military can apprehend non-citizens.