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Trump declares an invasion to use the military at the border [1]

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Date: 2025-04-12

This new stain on our history is a new memorandum titled: Military Mission for Sealing the Southern Border of the United States and Repelling Invasions. It declares an invasion to allow the use of military personnel to stop all border crossings.

It's not going to be a pretty sight. The land is mostly barren. It will not be be a pleasant tour of duty for anyone. Barracks have to be built. A declared invasion allows Trump to do anything. You're probably thinking "doesn't Congress have to declare war to send troops?" Yes, when it's abroad. This is in our own country.

There's no Fact Sheet to help out this time, just a memorandum to the Secretary of Defense, Secretary of the Interior, Secretary of Agriculture, and the Secretary of Homeland Security.

"The complexity of the current situation requires that our military take a more direct role in securing our southern border than in the recent past."

On January 20th Trump signed the first order leading up to this called Clarifying the Military's Role in Protecting the Territorial Integrity of the United States.

In that one, "I assigned the Armed Forces of the United States the military missions of repelling the invasion sealing the United States Southern border from unlawful entry to maintain the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and security of the United States."

Once again he's using the term invasion incorrectly. And he's using it to be able to direct military forces when he would not otherwise be able to. I don't know if Congress can stop him. I don't know if Congress wants to. This is, after all, one of his major campaign promises. Just maybe not in the way people thought it would happen.

The Biden Administration tried stop Texas from putting in those razor wire buoys in the Rio Grande River, stating there was no way for Texas to override the federal government on there being an invasion. Trump declared there was an invasion on January 20th, so that's no longer a problem for actions that a State might want to take, like Texas.

"... to provide for the use and jurisdiction of the Department of Defense over such Federal lands, including the Roosevelt Reservation and excluding Federal Indian Reservations, that are reasonably necessary to enable military activities directed in this memorandum, including border-barrier construction and emplacement of monitoring and detection equipment."

The Roosevelt Reservation is a 60 ft wide piece of land on the US side of the US-Mexico border that runs through three of the four border states. This is about 33% of the border. 67% is taken up by Texas, which is mostly private and state lands.

You'll notice that he got his dig in for building more of the border wall. No Congressional approval needed like the last time. He's declared an invasion, and they can't stop him as far as I can see.

"The Secretary of Defense may determine those military activities that are reasonably necessary and appropriate to accomplish the mission ... that are necessary to protect maintain the security of military installations and the longstanding authority of a military installation Commander to exclude persons from any military installation..."

So, there are going to be new military installations along the border. This is not going to be cheap. Buildings, water sources, food, sewage and treatment, basically small cities built in the middle of nowhere. Next, I predict, will be camps to hold deportees before final expulsion.

The Secretary of Defense can "authorize and request that State Governors order the National Guard ... to conduct Department of Defense activities, including as appropriate to support law enforcement activities..."

There you go. He gets to use the National Guard like he wanted to use against the George Floyd protesters, and more. I don't think anybody going into the National Guard figured that they would have to serve against their fellow citizens. Trump, of course, would say that these are not citizens being rounded up. They're rapist murdering invaders.

This is all possible by Trump declaring an "invasion." Just Security has a good article on the definition of that word. If it were to be allowed as Trump is using it, then the smugglers bringing alcoholic beverages over the Canadian border during prohibition would have been invaders also. This would be considered a never-ending state of invasion. Just like Trump is using about immigrants coming over the border constantly.

There is one more section that is cause for concern.

"In carrying out the activities under this memorandum, members of the Armed Forces will follow the rules for the use of force prescribed by the Secretary of Defense."

This is not even the Armed Forces Rules of Engagement with a foreign enemy. This is whatever the Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth says they are. I'm sure he'll get a lot of input from Stephen Miller. Trump will finally be able to say that they can shoot people in the leg to slow them down.

Now Trump gets his border construction going again. New military installations along the border. Literally an army ready to prevent border crossings with carte blanche to accomplish it in any fashion necessary.

This isn't the end of it.

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/4/12/2316129/-Trump-declares-an-invasion-to-use-the-military-at-the-border?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=more_community&pm_medium=web

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