Texas has offered the incoming Trump administration about 1,400 acres of land on the border to construct deportation facilities.
According to Fox News, Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham wrote to President Trump and offered him the land in Starr County.
The state purchased the 1,402 acres of land from a ranch owner in October, which sits in the Rio Grande Valley sector near the border.
'100% ON BOARD': Texas is offering the incoming Trump administration a tract of more than 1,400 acres on which to stage its mass deportation operation. https://t.co/kI9dNyb51O pic.twitter.com/X1CW2KmVmz
— Fox News (@FoxNews) November 20, 2024
Fox News reports:
Her letter to Trump, obtained by Fox News Digital, says her office is “fully prepared to enter into an agreement with the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or the United States Border Patrol to allow a facility to be built for the processing, detention, and coordination of the largest deportation of violent criminals in the nation’s history.”
“What I care about is that we have safe communities, and there is no doubt that we are losing too many of our children to these violent criminals that are coming across the border,” Buckingham told Fox News Digital in an interview on Tuesday. “I am 100% on board with the Trump administration’s pledge to get these criminals out of our country, and we are more than happy to offer our resources to facilitate those deportations of these violent criminals.”
The Texas General Land Office purchased the land in October to facilitate the construction of additional border wall, a project that the Biden administration stopped. The area, which was a ranch before Texas bought it, had seen drug smuggling and human trafficking, officials said.
🚨New: Texas has offered the Trump administration over 1,400 acres of land to help with aid for the mass deportation operation.
Via: Fox News pic.twitter.com/58heIIcSMq
— The Calvin Coolidge Project (@TheCalvinCooli1) November 20, 2024
“Texas bought the land last month after a ranch owner didn’t want to build any barriers on the property. The plan is still to begin wall construction in December—The commissioner is offering the land for additional use,” NewsNation correspondent Ali Bradley wrote.
NEW: @TXGLO confirms that Commissioner @DrBuckinghamTX is offering the incoming Trump Administration 1,402 acres of land to lease in Starr County for deportation efforts.
“As Texas Land Commissioner and steward of over 13 million acres, it’s been my promise to all Texans since… pic.twitter.com/wC8Fd1bKeh
— Ali Bradley (@AliBradleyTV) November 20, 2024
* Images from Ali Bradley X Post *
Per NewsNation:
The letter details GLO’s recent border security initiatives, including “Operation Flat Top,” which secured a 170-acre island in the Rio Grande previously described by state authorities as “the most dangerous part of the Texas border.”
Buckingham stated the land could be used for “processing, detention, and coordination of the largest deportation of violent criminals in the nation’s history” in cooperation with federal agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security and Border Patrol.
The GLO, which oversees 13 million acres of state lands, confirmed the offer through a spokesperson.
This comes as Texas Gov. Greg Abbott plans to expand buoy barriers across the Rio Grande to stop migrants from crossing the southern border despite border crossings dropping in the state.
Abbott has maintained that Texas will have a proactive versus reactive stance at the border and will be prepared should a surge happen ahead of Trump’s inauguration.
Border officials are now training for an expected surge in migrant crossings before Trump takes the White House.