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Trump Is Quietly Using The U.S. Military In A Whole New Way
(www.huffpost.com)
Since taking office in January 2025, Trump has authorized several unprecedented military actions and territorial claims:
Border Militarization:
- Transferred control of the Roosevelt Reservation, a 60-foot-wide strip along the US-Mexico border, to the Department of Defense in April 2025[^1]
- Established "National Defense Areas" in New Mexico and Texas, treating them as military installations where troops can detain migrants[^1]
- Deployed over 10,000 troops to patrol and monitor the border[^10]
Los Angeles Military Deployment:
- Federalized California National Guard troops in June 2025 over Governor Newsom's objections[^11]
- Deployed 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles following immigration protests[^11]
- A June 19 appeals court ruling upheld Trump's authority to deploy troops in American cities[^20]
Territorial Claims:
- Refused to rule out military force to seize control of Greenland from Denmark[^14]
- Threatened military action to retake control of the Panama Canal[^14]
- Proposed renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the "Gulf of America"[^14]
Legal Framework:
- Administration argues military activities at border are legal under "military purpose doctrine" exception to Posse Comitatus Act[^1]
- Critics say actions violate constitutional limits on military involvement in domestic law enforcement[^1]
- Brennan Center called the border militarization "a transparent ruse to evade the Posse Comitatus Act"[^1]
[^1]: Huffpost - Trump Is Quietly Using The U.S. Military In A Whole New Way
[^10]: Newsweek - Donald Trump expands US military role at southern border
[^11]: CNN - Trump seizes on Los Angeles protests in contentious use of military amid migrant crackdown