SAN ANTONIO — One of the big stories we’re following is the national defense area that’ll be created by the military here in South Texas.
RELATED: JBSA-Lackland to be included in new U.S. military defense zones for migrant detention
Exclusive video from your South Texas Ford dealers Sky 4 over Joint Base Lackland shows the area where migrants will be temporarily housed.
It’s unclear how many migrants can be housed at Lackland or how long they’ll be staying. This won’t be the first time— in 2014 Lackland was used to house migrants going through the deportation process.
The plan will help the Trump administration’s new goal of detaining 3,000 immigrants a day.
The national defense area covers about 250 miles along the Rio Grande in Cameron and Hidalgo Counties. The Air Force will manage the area as part of Joint Base San Antonio.
Experts say using the military for support roles is completely legal, as long as active service members are not making the initial arrest.
The zone will be one of two new national defense areas. The other will be in Yuma, Arizona on the border with Mexico.
People who live near Lackland are not at all concerned about safety, but it begs the question why San Antonio— a city that’s not along the border? We are working to get answers on this still developing story, including:
- When will the defense area be up and running?
- How much will it cost and how many troops will it take to staff it?
- Finally, in other defense areas, judges tossed out charges for migrants illegally crossing into the zone they weren’t aware was a military area. How will illegal crossings be prevented here?
We’ll continue to work to get answers on this story and others.