Trump Orders Pentagon to Assume Control of Borderlands

A new directive grants the military sweeping authority over federal lands along the U.S.-Mexico border, invoking national emergency powers to repel what Trump calls an “invasion.”

WASHINGTON — President Donald J. Trump has issued a National Security Presidential Memorandum (NSPM-4) directing a significant expansion of the U.S. military’s role in securing the southern border, citing threats to national sovereignty and territorial integrity. The memorandum, addressed to the Secretaries of Defense, Interior, Agriculture, and Homeland Security, outlines a strategy to deploy military resources to repel what the administration describes as an “invasion” and to seal the border against unlawful entry.