Annexed militarized zones on public land will soon cover nearly one-third of the U.S. border with Mexico, empowering soldiers to arrest people who cross the border illegally and facilitating new criminal trespassing charges.

The Pentagon is establishing a fourth military defense zone along the U.S.-Mexico border, where American soldiers can apprehend noncitizens on charges of trespassing, Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said Wednesday.

President Donald Trump's Department of Defense is creating two new military zones along the southern border between the U.S. and Mexico.