Along its border with Mexico, the United States has announced its first criminal indictments of migrants and asylum seekers who are said to have entered a newly established military zone. Approximately 28 individuals have been charged with “violations of security regulations” for entering the military zone, according to court documents filed on Monday and reported by US media the following day.
Despite being a misdemeanour, such offence contains the potential for harsher punishments. According to the US Code, people who violate security standards may face a fine of up to $100,000, a year in jail, or both.
The penalties for illegal immigration into the United States are often less harsh. However, as President Donald Trump’s administration intensifies its immigration enforcement, detractors caution about the increasing militarisation of the southern border area that borders Mexico.
An Army station known as Fort Huachuca was ordered by the Department of Defence to be enlarged to encompass 109,651 acres (44,400 hectares) of federal territory that had previously belonged to the Department of the Interior.
A piece of border property next to Mexico is now a US military zone, with severe penalties for trespassing, as a result of the three-year transfer. Notably, the routes that migrants and asylum seekers have used to enter the US illegally and without proper documentation cross that military zone.
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