Description: Part of the silver zone on the US – Mexico border would be transferred for administrating from the US Interior Ministry to the Defense Department according to an executive order issued by President Donald Trump. The executive order entails direct military involvement in the area called the Roosevelt Reservation which has a 60 – foot wide federal buffer zone along the border between New Mexico and California. So far, the military has assisted the US Customs and Border Protection agents in apprehending illegal migrants as well in the part of the massive deportations to the Guantanamo Bay and El Salvador. According to White House officials, the military’s more direct involvement would aim at bolstering border security, and it doesn’t signify any US territorial encroachments towards Mexico.
Impact: The executive order allowing the US Defense Department to directly engage in border control would further escalate tensions between US and Mexico. Previously, both sides deployed respective military and national guard assets to subvert illegal migration and tackle drug trade as part of an unofficial understanding between the countries which has been conditioned by Trump’s tariffs. Military buildup on the border signals a more radical stance from Trump’s administration on migration and drug trade and complements previous actions, such as the deployment of CIA surveillance drones across the border. Trump has temporarily exempted Mexico from the global blanket of tariffs although the 25% on steel and aluminum still persists. Mexico’s response so far has been mild, and the country has shown willingness to challenge key issues with the US on a cooperative basis, however, the US continues to aggressively dictate terms of regional foreign policy by constantly pressuring its neighbor with enhanced military buildup. Potential trade negotiations as well as cooperation agreements which would aim at facilitating closer cooperation between the two countries would potentially deescalate the tensions, however, no such indications have been made publicly available as of yet.