Federal judge dismisses trespassing charges against 98 people arrested in new military buffer zone along Southwest border

A federal magistrate judge has dismissed trespassing charges against 98 undocumented migrants arrested for entering a National Defense Area in New Mexico, linked to an Arizona military base, citing insufficient evidence that they knew they were entering the restricted zone. Judge Gregory B. Wormuth ruled that the government failed to demonstrate the defendants’ awareness of the area’s restrictions due to difficult terrain, although a separate misdemeanor charge of illegal entry remains. The judge’s decision aligns with the Trump administration’s military mission to secure the southern border, which allows temporary detentions in these areas.

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