The order would empower troops to detain people attempting to illegally enter the U.S. within the stretch of land, which was established by President Theodore Roosevelt for border security in 1907. Trump authorized the military to operate in the same area during his first administration to aid construction of a wall to deter migrant crossings.

President Donald Trump issued a memorandum Friday giving the U.S. military jurisdiction over federal lands at the southern border.

A 60-foot strip along the land border will be handed over to the Pentagon, running from the Pacific Ocean to the Rio Grande.