Interior designates 760-acre California border defense zone under Navy control for 3 years
The Interior Department has designated roughly 760 acres in San Diego and Imperial counties — running from the western boundary of the Otay Mountain Wilderness to about one mile west of the California–Arizona line — as a border-defense zone to be placed under U.S. Navy control for three years, citing a 1907 Theodore Roosevelt reservation and saying the move will strengthen security and curb environmental damage from heavy illegal crossings. The action, which Interior Secretary Doug Burgum framed as closing security gaps and advancing border priorities, is part of a broader series of militarized zones created since April and follows a January national‑emergency order authorizing military detention of immigrants, prompting civil‑liberties warnings that it could effectively turn the military into border police and raise constitutional concerns.
📌 Key Facts
- Interior designated roughly 760 acres in San Diego and Imperial Counties under U.S. Navy jurisdiction for three years.
- The zone runs from the western boundary of the Otay Mountain Wilderness Area to about one mile west of the California–Arizona state line.
- Interior cited a 1907 reservation by President Theodore Roosevelt for border protection and said the transfer was coordinated with the Navy.
- Interior said the corridor’s heavy illegal-crossing traffic creates national security challenges and environmental degradation, and that militarizing the area will minimize ecological damage.
- Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said the action advances President Trump’s priorities on border security and national defense, aiming to close security gaps with the Navy and prioritize public safety.
- The California designation is part of a broader program of "militarized zones" the administration has designated since April along the southern border in Arizona, New Mexico and Texas.
- The administration has authorized the military to detain immigrants suspected of unlawful crossings under a January executive order declaring a national emergency.
- Civil‑liberties groups, including the Brennan Center, warned the move could enable the military to act as a de facto border police force and raise constitutional concerns.
- Axios reports illegal crossings have fallen to their lowest point in decades amid the administration’s crackdown, providing contextual statistics cited with the designation.
📊 Relevant Data
In September 2025, Mexicans accounted for 69% of Border Patrol encounters at the US-Mexico border, up from 45% in October 2024.
A New Era of Immigration Enforcement Unfolds in the U.S. Interior and at the Border — Migration Policy Institute
Between July 2023 and July 2024, nearly 24,000 people left San Diego County, but the population increased slightly due to more immigrants moving in during that period.
San Diego County's population goes up slightly, but only because of immigration — KPBS
In 2024, several U.S. border communities saw violent crime drop below the national average, as nationwide rates fell to 20-year lows.
Violent crime in border cities fell below national rate in 2024 — Axios
For the sixth consecutive month in 2025, U.S. Border Patrol released zero illegal aliens into the United States.
DHS Delivers Historic Start to Border Crossings for FY 2026 — Department of Homeland Security
In 2023, California's overall violent crime rate was 503 per 100,000 residents, with border counties like San Diego and Imperial having rates of 340.0 and 332.9 per 100,000 respectively in 2017, though recent trends show declines.
Crime Trends in California — Public Policy Institute of California
📰 Sources (3)
- Axios frames this as part of multiple 'militarized zones' designated since April in Arizona, New Mexico and Texas, placing the California action in a broader program.
- States the administration has authorized the military to detain immigrants suspected of unlawful crossings under a January executive order declaring a national emergency.
- Includes civil-liberties criticism from the Brennan Center warning the move could enable the military to act as a de facto border police force and raise constitutional concerns.
- Provides a direct quote from Interior Secretary Doug Burgum emphasizing closing security gaps with the Navy and prioritizing public safety.
- Claims illegal crossings have fallen to their lowest point in decades amid the crackdown (contextual statistic not in prior summaries).
- Scope: roughly 760 acres in San Diego and Imperial Counties placed under Navy jurisdiction.
- Geography: zone runs from the western boundary of the Otay Mountain Wilderness Area to about one mile west of the California–Arizona state line.
- Duration: Navy control is set for three years.
- Legal/history: Interior cites the land’s 1907 reservation by President Theodore Roosevelt for border protection and says the move was coordinated with the Navy.
- Rationale: Interior links the corridor’s heavy illegal-crossing traffic to national security challenges and environmental degradation; says militarizing the area will minimize ecological damage.
- Official quote: Interior Secretary Doug Burgum says the action advances President Trump’s top national priorities on border security and national defense.