AUSTIN, Texas — The state of Texas is proposing to transfer more than 1,400 acres of land near the U.S.-Mexico border to the incoming Trump administration for use as a deportation facility.
Texas Land Secretary Dawn Buckingham, in a letter to President-elect Donald Trump, said in a letter to President-elect Donald Trump that the 1,402-acre ranch located 55 miles west of McAllen, Texas, is being sold to support mass deportation efforts. I made a formal offer.
“My office will enter into agreements with the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or U.S. Border Protection to permit the construction of facilities to process, detain, and coordinate the deportation of the most violent criminals. We are ready. A criminal in the history of this country,” the letter reads.
The property, located in Starr County, was purchased by the Texas General Land Office on October 23, 2024. Less than 24 hours after purchasing the land, Buckingham’s office approved a 1.45-mile-long easement that would allow construction of a state border wall. Beyond the land.
Buckingham’s letter said the ranch’s former owners refused to build a wall on the property and “actively prevented law enforcement from accessing the property.”
“I am committed to using every means at our disposal to ensure the complete operational security of our borders,” the letter reads.
Buckingham later spoke to Fox News about the plan to gift the land, saying, “I support the Trump administration’s commitment 100% to get these criminals out of our country, and we are willing to provide the resources.” Facilitate the deportation of these violent criminals. ”
Throughout his campaign, Trump promised to carry out the largest mass deportation of illegal immigrants in U.S. history.
It is estimated that there are more than 11 million illegal immigrants currently living in the United States, and large-scale deportation operations require large amounts of money, manpower, and resources.
President Trump has previously suggested he might deploy the National Guard, or even active-duty military, to target illegal immigrants.
Texas is likely to play a key role in implementing President Trump’s immigration plan. Texas Governor Greg Abbott has already made border security one of his top priorities for the past several years in his multibillion-dollar border enforcement effort, Operation Lone Star.
