🌵 Borderland Communities Caught in Crossfire as Trump Threatens Drone Strikes and Militarizes Federal Lands

President Trump's twin strategies of transferring border lands to military control and considering drone strikes in Mexico heighten international tensions and threaten indigenous sovereignty.

Apr 12, 2025

😽 Keepin’ It Simple Summary for Younger Readers
👧🏾✊🏾👦🏾

🇺🇸🤖 President Trump just ordered the military to take control of land along the 🇺🇸-🇲🇽 border while also considering using drone aircraft ✈️💣 to attack drug cartels inside Mexico. This has made the Mexican government 🇲🇽 very upset, with President Sheinbaum saying Mexico will not accept any foreign military actions on their soil 🚫👮‍♂️.

Indigenous people 🌿 who have lived in these border areas for thousands of years are worried 😟 because Trump's orders affect their homes 🏡 and sacred places, even though reservations are supposedly excluded 🚷. This is happening even though fewer people are crossing the border lately 🚶‍♂️❌. Many people think this is just to distract from other problems and create tension ⚠️. Communities on both sides of the border 🤝 are working together to protect their rights and lands from military control 🛡️.

🗝️ Takeaways

🏛️ Trump has transferred federal lands along the southern border to military jurisdiction, creating "National Defense Areas" that bypass normal civilian oversight
🛩️ The Trump administration is simultaneously considering drone strikes against cartel targets within Mexican territory, dramatically escalating surveillance flights to build "target decks"
🪖 Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has categorically rejected any U.S. military intervention, stating Mexico "will not, under any circumstances, accept intervention" from abroad
🌱 While Native American reservations are technically excluded from military jurisdiction, the impacts will extend beyond reservation boundaries, threatening sacred sites and traditional territories
⚖️ These twin strategies of border militarization and potential drone warfare may be designed to pressure Mexico into accepting joint operations they previously would have rejected
🛑 The timing around April 20th raises concerns about connections to white supremacist symbolism, while also serving to distract from economic policy failures
✊ Indigenous-led resistance is organizing to monitor military activities, pursue legal challenges, and build cross-border solidarity networks to protect sovereignty

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Militarized Borders and Drone Wars: Trump Escalates Tensions with Mexico as Indigenous Lands Become Battlegrounds

The air feels different today in the borderlands. Heavier. More oppressive. As I look toward the mountains that have witnessed centuries of resistance and resilience, I can't help but feel the weight of what this latest executive order means for our communities.

The Latest Assault on Border Communities

On Friday evening, President Trump quietly signed an executive order transferring jurisdiction of federal lands along the southern border to the Department of Defense, designating these areas as "National Defense Areas." This directive specifically targets the Roosevelt Reservation—a 60-foot-wide strip of land spanning California, Arizona, and New Mexico—which will now fall under military control for operations such as barrier construction and surveillance systems.

This militarization comes on the heels of even more aggressive moves against Mexico. Over the past week, reports have revealed that the Trump administration is actively considering launching drone strikes on drug cartels within Mexican territory as part of an "ambitious effort to combat criminal gangs trafficking narcotics across the southern border." The administration has already dramatically increased surveillance flights over Mexico with CIA drones collecting intelligence to build what one official called "a target deck" of potential strikes against "cartel operatives, vehicles, warehouses and other parts" of trafficking networks.

Let's be clear about what this means: the U.S. military is now authorized to occupy land that has been part of Indigenous territories since time immemorial. The order directs the Secretaries of Defense, Interior, Agriculture, and Homeland Security to facilitate this transfer of authority, with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth tasked with implementing the directive in phases.

Este es un ataque directo contra nuestra gente, nuestra tierra.

While the memorandum technically "excludes" Native American reservations from military jurisdiction, those of us living in these borderlands know that invisible lines on maps mean little when military forces begin operations. The impacts will be felt far beyond the 60-foot strip.

The Context Behind the Executive Order

Trump has justified this unprecedented action by declaring that the United States is "under attack from a variety of threats." This alarmist rhetoric is nothing new—it's the same playbook he's been using since his first campaign. What's particularly concerning is the timing, with April 20th approaching—a date with significant meaning to white supremacist groups as both Hitler's birthday and the anniversary of the Columbine massacre.

Is this a coincidence? Perhaps. But for those of us who have been tracking the connections between white nationalism and border militarization policies, the proximity is disturbing.

The real distraction, however, is from Trump's economic policies that have failed to deliver on his promises. Since his reinauguration in January, we've seen:

Rising inflation affecting everyday necessities
Tax cuts that predominantly benefit the ultra-wealthy
Slashed funding for social programs that borderland communities rely on
Tariff wars that have disrupted agricultural exports crucial to border state economies

By manufacturing a crisis at the border, Trump diverts attention from these economic failures while simultaneously energizing his base with performative "tough on immigration" theatrics.

The Legal Implications

The legal ramifications of this order are profound and concerning. Under this new designation:

Enhanced penalties for migrants: People crossing these areas could face charges for trespassing on a military installation—a significantly more severe offense than the standard misdemeanor for unauthorized entry. This could lead to stricter prosecutions and prolonged detention.
Circumvention of the Posse Comitatus Act: This Act traditionally restricts military engagement in domestic law enforcement. However, by designating border areas as military installations, the Department of Defense can detain migrants under the premise of protecting federal property—a concerning loophole.
Federal vs. State authority conflicts: Under the Federal Enclave Doctrine, areas under exclusive federal jurisdiction may preempt state laws, including environmental regulations that protect our sacred lands and waters.
Expanded military discretion: The Secretary of Defense now has authority to expand military activities to additional federal lands along the border and define "reasonably necessary" tasks, essentially creating a framework for escalating military presence with minimal oversight.

The Impact on Southern Arizona

For those of us in Southern Arizona, this militarization hits particularly hard. Our communities have already endured decades of Border Patrol checkpoints, surveillance technologies, and the ecological destruction caused by border wall construction.

The Tohono O'odham Nation, whose traditional territory spans the U.S.-Mexico border, has continually fought against border wall construction that cuts through their ancestral lands. While the executive order claims to exclude recognized reservations, the ecological and cultural impacts don't stop at reservation boundaries.

Sacred sites, water sources, and wildlife migration corridors that extend beyond official reservation boundaries remain vulnerable. The militarization disrupts not only human communities but entire desert ecosystems that have no concept of national boundaries.

La frontera es una herida abierta—the border is an open wound—and this order pours salt into it.

Indigenous Sovereignty Under Threat

While the order explicitly excludes Native American reservations from military jurisdiction on paper, the reality is far more complex. Many sacred sites and traditional territories extend beyond the officially recognized reservation boundaries.

The Roosevelt Reservation itself was created in 1907 through the unilateral seizure of a 60-foot strip along the international boundary—land that rightfully belongs to Indigenous nations.

For the Tohono O'odham, Apache, Cocopah, Quechan, Kumeyaay, and other border nations, this executive order represents yet another chapter in the long history of colonial encroachment on Indigenous sovereignty.

The militarization of these lands threatens:

Traditional hunting and gathering areas
Access to sacred sites for ceremonial purposes
Family connections that span both sides of the border
Water rights and environmental protections
Cultural practices tied to specific places in the landscape

Mexico's Response

President Claudia Sheinbaum of Mexico has responded to Trump's border actions and drone threats with categorical rejection. In direct response to reports about potential U.S. drone strikes, she declared that "the people of Mexico will not, under any circumstances, accept intervention, interference, or any other act from abroad" and that such military action "would not resolve anything."

Sheinbaum has been working to strengthen constitutional protections for Mexico's sovereignty, proposing reforms specifically aimed at adding stronger safeguards after Trump's designation of Mexican cartels as "foreign terrorist organizations" in February—a move widely seen as a legal stepping stone toward military action.

The drone surveillance missions, which have been approved by the Mexican government for intelligence gathering, are already causing tension. While Mexico has accepted some cooperation on security matters, Sheinbaum has emphatically drawn the line at direct military intervention, stating that Mexico will coordinate and collaborate with the U.S. but "we are not subordinate." The administration's threats of tariffs and military action appear designed to pressure Mexico into accepting joint operations they previously would have rejected.

La resistencia no conoce fronteras—resistance knows no borders.

Is This About Security or Politics?

The timing of this executive order—coming after border crossing numbers have actually decreased significantly in recent months—raises serious questions about its true purpose. March reportedly saw historically low numbers of unauthorized crossings, undermining the administration's claims of an escalating crisis requiring military intervention.

This suggests the executive order is less about addressing genuine security concerns and more about:

Distracting from economic policies that have failed to deliver promised results
Energizing Trump's political base ahead of midterm elections
Testing the limits of executive power and establishing precedents for military use domestically
Continuing the campaign of psychological warfare against immigrant communities

What We Can Do: Building Resistance

Despite the darkness of this moment, I am reminded daily of the resilience of our borderland communities. For centuries, Indigenous peoples have survived genocidal policies, and we continue to resist. Here's how we can respond:

Support Indigenous-led resistance movements fighting border militarization, particularly those led by directly impacted tribal nations.
Monitor and document military activities in border regions. Organizations like the Border Monitoring Network are training community observers.
Engage with legal challenges to the executive order. Several civil rights organizations are already preparing lawsuits questioning its constitutionality.
Pressure local and state officials to oppose cooperation with military operations and protect state environmental regulations.
Build community solidarity networks that can provide mutual aid and support to those most affected by increased militarization.
Support independent media coverage of the borderlands. Mainstream media often perpetuates harmful narratives or ignores our communities entirely.
Connect with cross-border solidarity movements working with communities in Mexico also affected by militarization.

A Note of Hope

The border has always been a place of contestation, but also of incredible creativity and resistance. Every act of military intimidation has been met with community solidarity. Every wall has inspired new forms of connection. Every attempt to divide has ultimately strengthened our determination to build bridges.

As we face this new chapter of border militarization, I am reminded of the words our abuelas shared: "No nos pueden enterrar—somos semillas." They can't bury us—we are seeds.

The roots of our resistance run deep in this soil, reaching across artificial boundaries, connecting past generations to future ones. Even as military boots march on our lands, we continue to grow, to organize, to resist, and to build the world we know is possible.

Supporting the Resistance

If you want to stay informed about developments along the border and support Indigenous-led resistance to militarization, consider supporting Three Sonorans. Your contributions help us continue independent reporting from the borderlands, centering the voices and perspectives of those most impacted by these policies. Together, we can build a movement strong enough to dismantle the infrastructures of oppression at the border and beyond.

La lucha sigue. The struggle continues.

What are your thoughts on the militarization of the border? Have you witnessed the impacts of increased enforcement in your community? Share your experiences in the comments below.