Hunters and hikers in New Mexico are being urged to reconsider trips near the southern border following a new ban on public access to a national defense area established along the border.
A Department of Defense spokesperson confirmed to USA Today that hunting and hiking are now prohibited within this designated military zone.
When contacted by KOB 4 for clarification, the Department of Defense referred to a statement made in April by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth: “This is Department of Defense property. Any illegal attempt to enter that zone is entering a military base — a federally protected area. You will be detained. You will be interdicted by U.S. troops and border patrol working together.”
Democratic Senator Martin Heinrich of New Mexico sent a letter to the Department of Defense last week, seeking details on how the new national defense area would affect U.S. citizens. As of now, a spokesperson for Senator Heinrich informed KOB 4 that no formal response has been received.
Senator Heinrich also issued a statement condemning the restrictions: “To tell New Mexicans that they will now be arrested for hiking and hunting on the land they have forged their identities on is deeply insulting and un-American. These are places where families have returned year after year to hunt quail, teach their kids how to track Coues deer, and find peace and perspective in the stillness of the desert. These landscapes hold our stories, our traditions, and our sense of belonging. We cannot and will not let this stand.”
The Trump administration transferred control of a strip of land along the U.S.-Mexico border to the military last month, enabling federal prosecutors to charge migrants with trespassing on military land.
Last week, a federal judge in Las Cruces dismissed dozens of military trespassing charges, ruling there was insufficient evidence that migrants had seen warning signs about the newly established national defense area.
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