Service Members Killed in Crash Near Southern Border: What We Know

Three service members were involved in a vehicle crash along the southern border Tuesday morning in which two of them were killed, the Joint Task Force Southern Border said in a statement.

Newsweek reached out to the task force via email late Tuesday night for comment.

Why It Matters

Since his January 20 inauguration, President Donald Trump has implemented sweeping change, mainly through executive orders, and has prioritized immigration as a key pillar.

Immediately after taking office, Trump declared a national emergency along the southern border of the United States, due to an “invasion.”

Trump last month also utilized the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, a wartime law that grants the commander in chief authority to detain or deport non-citizens. The implementation was blocked in federal court and has sparked a contentious legal back-and-forth in the federal courts.

The accident on Tuesday marks the first reported deaths involving U.S. military activity along the southern border, according to ABC News.

What To Know

Multiple Army units nationwide have been deployed to assist the task force, a U.S. Northern Command press release says. Nearly 10,000 service members were deployed or cleared to deploy, “who will report to or support this new Joint Task Force,” the March release says.

Several units from the National Guard and Reserve were also stationed to facilitate the Department of Homeland Security’s bid for assistance with the task force, according to the release.

According to a post on X, formerly Twitter, by the U.S. Northern Command, the accident involving the three service members occurred around 8:50 a.m. MDT near Santa Teresa, New Mexico.

The post announced the deaths of the two service members and said the third is in serious condition at a nearby medical facility.

“The names of the deceased will not be released until the next of kin have been notified,” the statement read.

Southern border New Mexico — The U.S.-Mexico border fence is pictured on July 19, 2018, in Sunland Park, New Mexico. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

What People Are Saying

Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, senior fellow at the American Immigration Council, posted to X on Tuesday: “Terrible news and my heart goes out to their families. Congress should investigate why they were there and whether it was necessary.”

U.S. Northern Command in the press release announcing the joint task force, in part: “The transfer of authority, or TOA, to JTF-SB aligns efforts to seal the southern border and repel illegal activity under a single Joint Task Force responsible for full-scale, agile, and all-domain operations, which will allow for more effective and efficient DoD operations. Joint Task Force-North will continue their core mission of detecting and monitoring transnational criminal organizations’ threats within and along approaches to the continental United States.”

New Mexico Senator Ben Ray Lujan, a Democrat, posted to X on Tuesday: “Heartbroken by the loss of two service members in today’s tragic accident. My prayers are with the third service member who is in serious condition, as well as all of their families and loved ones.”