First trial of immigrant accused of trespassing on Texas border military zone ends in acquittal

A sign seen on May 12 near Marker 4 east of the Texas-New Mexico state line — illegible from the Mexican bank of the Rio Grande — warns that the U.S. Department of Defense has taken over the area. (Credit: Courtesy of Corrie Boudreaux/El Paso Matters)

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A federal jury and judge acquitted a 21-year-old woman from Peru on Thursday of illegally entering a national defense area and military reservation after she crossed the Rio Grande from Mexico into Texas last month, in what lawyers say is the first trial of an immigrant since the Trump administration declared parts of the New Mexico and Texas border as a military zone.