About 500 Marines from Camp Pendleton in Southern California are being deployed to Yuma, Arizona, to help reinforce security along the U.S.-Mexico border, the San Diego Union‑Tribune reported Friday.
Base officials said the troops will focus on reinforcing barriers, placing signs and monitoring activity, since military personnel are not authorized to carry out civilian law enforcement such as searches or arrests.
The newspaper said similar deployments have been common over the past year under President Donald Trump, after parts of the Arizona border near Yuma were designated as National Defense Areas. The designation transfers land to the Defense Department for enhanced security, including surveillance drones, sensors, troops and barriers.
Troops in those zones can detain people suspected of trespassing on military property and hand them over to federal law enforcement for possible trespass charges. The newest such zone is in California’s Imperial County and eastern San Diego County.