Two service members killed in southern New Mexico

A fatal crash near Santa Teresa claimed the lives of two service members recently assigned to the United States-Mexico border.

The Joint Task Force Southern Border announced two service members died and a third was hospitalized in serious condition following a crash at 8:50 a.m. Tuesday. The cause of the crash remained under investigation and the personnel were not identified as of Wednesday morning, as the deceased’s next of kin were being notified.

These are the first fatalities to be reported following the escalation of the military’s role at the border. President Donald Trump declared a national emergency in January and, last week, his administration transferred a strip of land running alongside the border through California, Arizona and New Mexico for military use as part of the armed forces’ expanding role in border enforcement.

The task force confirmed that the service members were Marines from Camp Pendleton in California, on their way to El Paso. The crash involved a civilian vehicle, per first responders and television footage of the scene.

Santa Teresa lies a short distance from Fort Bliss, the U.S. Army base in El Paso, Texas. Local news reports state that first responders were dispatched to N.M. 9, the roadway extending from Santa Teresa, where a Border Patrol station is located, westward across New Mexico along the border. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth visited the area in February ahead of the increased deployment of military resources to back up federal law enforcement.

U.S. Rep. Gabe Vasquez, D-N.M., expressed condolences for the service members and their families in a statement Tuesday night.

“With the recent deployments to and the new mission at the southern border, we must fully review the circumstances surrounding this incident,” the southern New Mexico representative stated. “We owe it to them — and all who serve — to ensure their safety is never compromised.”