Campo, California – In the rugged hills of eastern San Diego County, olive-green tents flap in the dry wind outside a U.S. Border Patrol station. A few hundred yards from the Pacific Crest Trail and just 14 miles from the Tecate border crossing, more than 160 Marines from Camp Pendleton are now stationed in the remote community of Campo. Their presence represents a significant shift in the Trump administration’s evolving border strategy—and in the military’s domestic role.
Since early June, Marines have been patrolling the area twice daily, according to reports from personnel on the ground. It’s a notable change from their previously limited support roles, which were carefully defined under the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878—a law that restricts the use of federal troops in civilian law enforcement. But under President Trump, those boundaries are being redrawn.
Back in April, Trump signed Executive Order 14167, which designated the federal land along the U.S.-Mexico border as a “military installation,” granting the Department of Defense wider latitude to conduct operations traditionally handled by Customs and Border Protection. That designation, some legal experts argue, may allow federal troops to patrol more aggressively without violating the law’s intent…