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NEED TO KNOW
- Signs appeared on a beach in Mexico Nov. 17 declaring the area “Department of Defense” property
- The signs were soon removed by Mexican authorities, who determined they had been placed there by mistake
- An official from the nearby U.S. military base told PEOPLE “contractors” had put the signs in the region by accident, and vowed to “avoid confusion” in future efforts
The United States Department of Defense appeared to mistakenly declare a Mexican beach part of U.S. property.
Signs appeared this week in both English and Spanish on the Mexico side of the border between the two countries, warning trespassers that the spot was “Department of Defense property” and declaring it a “restricted area” as directed by “the commander,” according to The Daily Beast.
The incident, which took place on Monday, Nov. 17, was quickly framed as an “invasion” on social media. When Mexican Navy members arrived at the scene about 12 miles south of the U.S.-Mexico border, they removed the signs after determining that they had been wrongly placed there.
Mexico’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Mexican Ministry of the Navy released a joint statement confirming the removal of the signs, My San Antonio reported.
“Acting on information received, naval personnel located and removed six warning signs placed at Playa Bagdad, Tamaulipas, as a preventative measure,” their statement read, according to an English translation. While they confirmed the signs had been taken down, they were not able to confirm who placed the signs on the beach.
In a statement shared with PEOPLE, an official at Joint Base San Antonio — a nearby U.S. military facility — said that “contractors” placed the signs.
“Changes in water depth and topography altered the perception of the international boundary’s location,” the statement said, noting that “Government of Mexico personnel removed 6 of the signs based on that perception of the international boundary’s location.”
The JBSA official added that the contractors would “coordinate with appropriate agencies to avoid confusion in the future.”
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The signs appear to be connected to the military’s plans to establish a National Defense Area (NDA) along Hidalgo and Cameron counties on the border of Mexico. The area is part of efforts under President Donald Trump to “seal” the southern border.
After visiting a newly established NDA in April, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told troops, “This is Department of Defense property. Any illegal [attempt] to enter that zone is entering a military base — a federally protected area. You will be detained. You will be interdicted by U.S. troops and border patrol working together.”
Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc/Getty
According to My San Antonio, officials said the NDA would be administered by the U.S. Air Force by Joint Base San Antonio.
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The Pentagon referred PEOPLE to the Air Force when reached for comment.
The beach where the signs were placed is Playa Bagdad, described by My San Antonio as “a popular Mexican beach just outside of Matamoros, the sister city of Brownsville, the largest city in the Rio Grande Valley” that is also “a popular viewing spot during SpaceX launches.”
