This armoured vehicle was used in Iraq – now it's stationed at the US-Mexico border 1 day ago Share Save Daniel García Marco y Leire Ventas BBC Mundo Reporting from El Paso, Texas Share Save Getty Images In the heart of the Texas desert, a Stryker is parked near a stretch of border wall. The light but powerful eight-wheeled combat vehicle was used in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars – and now is being used to stop what US President Donald Trump has called an "invasion" at the US-Mexico border. The Stryker is just one of about 100 such vehicles being used along the 3,100 km border.
In addition, it is estimated there are over 8,000 soldiers, as well as spy planes and drones, and two Navy ships monitoring the coast. A few kilometres away on the Mexican side of the border, a young man standing on top of a hill is one of the few signs of this so-called "invasion". He is what Border Patrol agents call a "hawk," the ones who monitor and decide when and where to encourage migrants to cross into the United States.
But those crossings – not long ago at an all time high – have slowed to a trickle, as Trump has cracked down on illegal immigration. The declining numbers have raised questions about Trump's border tactics, which include an unprecedented deployment of American military might. Getty Images The military has deployed about 100 Strykers that were used in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars to the border A legal loophole Trump has been accused of bypassing the conventional distinction between the armed forces and domestic police by deploying the military to the border.
In the US, the Posse Comitatus Act prevents federal armed forces from participating in law enforcement activities unless Congress has expressly authorized it. However, the military is allowed to patrol its own bases and arrest trespassers through what is known as the "military purpose doctrine". Between April 18 and May 1, the Pentagon created two National Defense Areas, both bordering the Mexican state of Chihuahua, and made them de facto parts of existing military bases.
What this has done, says Elizabeth Goitein, senior director of the left-leaning Brennan Center for Justice's Liberty & National Security Program, is allow the military to patrol huge swaths of the border. Migrants caught crossing into these areas would be considered trespassers and may be temporarily detained by US soldiers until Border Patrol agents arrive. "It's exactly what the administration is trying to set up here: to turn up to a third of the southern border into a military installation," she told BBC Mundo.
"When someone enters the area and is detained, they can argue that the primary reason for doing so is to protect the base." The military command insists that its mission is to detain and alert border agents so they can make the official arrest – not to do domestic police work. The Trump administration argues the expanded military areas are necessary for national security, and points to its decisive election victory as a mandate.
Stronger border security was a key Trump campaign promise and one of the biggest issues for voters. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt says the new areas "will enhance our ability to detect, interdict and prosecute the illegal aliens, criminal gangs, and terrorists who were able to invade our country". "It will also bolster our defenses against fentanyl and other dangerous narcotics that have been poisoning our communities," she added.
Daniel García Marco / BBC Mundo About 1,700 signs have been placed around the new National Defense Areas warning migrants against trespassing 95% isn't good enough
