The U.S. Section of the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC) temporarily transferred the jurisdiction of some federal property on and along an approximately 250-mile stretch of the Rio Grande River in Cameron and Hidalgo Counties (between South Padre Island -- the mouth of the Rio Grande -- and Roma, Texas) to the Department of War.
This NDA will be designated as part of Joint Base San Antonio under the jurisdiction of the Department of the Air Force.
A National Defense Area is an area of operations on a military installation and is a specified area of federal land which is under the administrative jurisdiction of DOW, which permits DOW to establish and enforce a controlled perimeter and control access to the area, just as it would on any other part of a military installation.
The Department of War has assumed administrative jurisdiction over specific federal land on border areas to enhance the Department’s ability to protect the U.S. southern border from unlawful entry and to maintain the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and security of the United States.
As with any military installation, the Department is preventing unauthorized access to the area through an appropriately identified, controlled perimeter and will deny unauthorized or unlawful entry, disrupt threats, and deter criminal activities.
Unauthorized entry in NDAs is prohibited. All persons entering NDAs may be detained and searched.