President Trump’s border crackdown scores major win in New Mexico

In a resounding win for law and order on the southern border, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico has secured the first two criminal convictions under military trespass and defense property security statutes, underscoring the success of bold new enforcement tools spearheaded under the Trump administration’s border security vision.

The landmark convictions come just months after a National Defense Area (NDA) was established along a critical stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border in New Mexico, bolstering the military’s authority to deter unlawful entry into the United States. The NDA—a 60-foot-wide, 170-mile-long military-controlled zone managed by the U.S. Army—was approved in April 2025, marking a historic moment in the fight to shut down illegal crossings in some of the most vulnerable parts of the border.

These newly enforced statutes, Title 50 U.S.C. § 797 and Title 18 U.S.C. § 1382, authorize federal criminal penalties for those who violate security regulations or trespass onto military property. Now, for the first time, they have been successfully deployed to crack down on repeated illegal entries by criminal trespassers.

Andres De Los Santos-Martinez and Eduardo Herrera-Juvencio, both Mexican nationals previously deported, were arrested on June 1, 2025, in Doña Ana County after unlawfully re-entering the United States through a non-designated location within the National Defense Area. Both men had already been warned in Spanish during prior apprehensions on May 7 that they were entering a restricted military zone—yet they returned in flagrant violation of federal law. Each pleaded guilty to re-entry after deportation, willfully violating defense property security regulations, and military trespass.

“These first convictions reflect the resolve of the United States Attorney’s Office to do its part in securing our nation’s southern border,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison, who has made prosecuting border-related crimes a top priority. “I am tremendously proud of our staff in the Las Cruces Branch Office, the U.S. Border Patrol, and the U.S. military for their relentless efforts to secure our southern border. New Mexico—and the entire country—is more secure because of these efforts.”

The NDA, clearly marked with signs in both English and Spanish warning of federal prosecution for unauthorized entry, is one of the most aggressive and innovative tools yet implemented to fight criminal trespass along the border—an idea long championed by President Donald J. Trump during his administration. The success of this enforcement signals what is possible when federal, military, and border authorities work hand-in-hand.

Chief Patrol Agent Walter N. Slosar of the U.S. Border Patrol’s El Paso Sector echoed that sentiment: “Let this send the message that entering the United States illegally is a crime; and if you do so in an area marked as a National Defense Area, you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law and removed far from the border.”

The convictions represent a sharp departure from the lawlessness tolerated under previous administrations, and a much-needed return to accountability at the southern border. The defendants remain in federal custody awaiting sentencing and will face deportation following completion of their prison terms.

The cases were investigated by the U.S. Border Patrol El Paso Sector and are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mark Saltman and Alyson Hehr.