Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham confirmed Tuesday that nine islands on the Texas-Mexico border belong to the State of Texas.
The Texas General Land Office (GLO) made the determination about the previously unclaimed Rio Grande islands, totaling approximately 66 acres.
According to the GLO, the determination clears up questions of jurisdiction and allows law enforcement to access, monitor, and protect the strategic islands.
“As Texas Land Commissioner, I have a responsibility to protect every acre of state land entrusted to the General Land Office. For years, the ownership of these islands has been uncertain, limiting the ability to ensure they are properly monitored and protected,” said Buckingham.
While illegal activity has not been confirmed on the nine islands, Buckingham noted in a letter to the Texas Military Department that past experiences showed how cartels and smugglers exploited border islands.
“Now that the GLO has confirmed these nine islands belong to the State of Texas, we are notifying our law enforcement partners so that they can gain access to these state-owned properties to patrol, inspect and clear them of any illegal activity they may encounter, consistent with the law,” stated Buckingham. “Texas land will never become a safe haven for cartels, human traffickers, smugglers, or other criminal organizations.”
Buckingham said she is communicating with state and federal law enforcement to ensure they have accurate coordinates for border security operations.
The nine islands are not the first the GLO has identified as Texas land.
In 2023, Buckingham declared Fronton Island, a 170-acre “no man’s land” used by cartels, as state land. Law enforcement then cleared vegetation and installed razor wire in Operation Flat Top, causing a sharp decline in crime at the border hotspot.
Buckingham has made border security a priority of her office.
In 2024, the GLO obtained a 1,402-acre ranch in Starr County. Buckingham sent the Trump administration a letter offering the land for deportation facilities and staging areas with plans to deport violent criminal illegal aliens.
She announced the completion of a 1.5-mile border wall on the property in January 2025.
Buckingham also requested help from the Trump administration to secure two Rio Grande islands she described as “cartel-infested” and a “smuggler’s paradise” in 2025.
