Military personnel will patrol and stop trespassers along the stretch of land, which spans 250 miles of the Rio Grande River in Texas.

The new military zone is located in Cameron and Hidalgo Counties in Texas and will be transferred from land overseen by the International Boundary and Water Commission, an entity that settles treaty issues between the U.

The Defense Department is expanding its border role with a new military zone near Yuma, aiming to boost surveillance as crossings continue to fall.