Trump administration considering buffer zone on the border

SANTA TERESA, New Mexico (KVIA) -- The Washington Post is reporting the Trump Administration has plans for the Pentagon to have a buffer zone along the border including a section in southern New Mexico.

This will allow U.S. Military personnel to temporarily hold migrants who cross the border illegally between ports of entry.

"I can't tell you how wrong-headed this approach is in terms of actual border security needs that we have at the border,” U.S. Congressman Gabe Vasquez said in a Zoom conference today.

“I really wish the administration would take some time to both talk to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, to talk to local landowners, and to talk to folks about the operational needs that we have, and it’s really rooted in technology at our ports of entry," Rep. Vasquez added.

The creation of this buffer zone along the border is an addition to the deployment of thousands of troops to assist the Department of Homeland Security with immigration and drug trafficking enforcement.

Rep. Vasquez called the Trump administration to consider directing that funding towards DHS (CBP and Border Patrol) instead of using it with the Department of Defense.

"I'll be more than happy to take the administration out some of these remote stretches in places like Hidalgo County and Luna County, and show them what a waste of taxpayer resources and military readiness during a time when our troops should really be focused on training for the next generation of military readiness," Rep. Vasquez added.

ABC-7 reached out to the Department of Defense to learn more about this buffer zone initiative.

"We have nothing to announce at this time," said a DOD Duty Officer.