Texas claims 9 islands on the Rio Grande as state property – Spectrum News

Texas claims 9 islands on the Rio Grande as state property  Spectrum News

The property has been claimed to help eliminate cartel activity. Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham announced the Texas General Land Office (GLO) has identified nine islands on the Rio Grande as property belonging to the State of Texas, totaling roughly 66 acres. The nine islands the state now claims add to the five the GLO previously announced belonged to Texas. The push by the state to take over these islands, according to the commissioner, is to stop cartels from exploiting the islands for human and drug smuggling. “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,” said Commissioner Buckingham in a released statement.

“Texas land will never become a safe haven for cartels, human traffickers, smugglers, or other criminal organizations.” In 2023, the commissioner declared the 170-acre Fronton Island, a few miles north of the border town of Roma, as state land. Prior to the Fronton Island declaration, the state and federal government claimed the island was a hotspot for illegal activity. U.S. Customs and Border Protection asked the GLO to study 28 islands on the Rio Grande presumed unclaimed.