On Tuesday, the State of Texas extended an offer of over 1,000 acres to President-elect Donald Trump for his mass deportation efforts. Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham, a Republican, informed the president-elect that the Trump administration would have access to approximately 1,400 acres in Starr County, Texas, intended for the establishment of deportation facilities. This offer contrasts sharply with the increasing number of Democratic officials who are openly opposing Trump’s immigration policy.
“I am writing to formally offer 1,402 acres of land in Starr County, Texas to be used to construct deportation facilities,” Buckingham wrote to the president-elect. “The Texas General Land Office (GLO) currently owns a 1,402-acre tract roughly 35 miles west of McAllen, Texas.”
Buckingham emphasized that her office stands ready to collaborate with agencies such as the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or the United States Border Patrol to build facilities that will handle the “processing, detention, and coordination of the largest deportation of violent criminals in the nation’s history.”
Before his decisive victory over Vice President Kamala Harris on Election Day, Trump was transparent about his plans regarding border security and immigration enforcement. He promised to resume the construction of the U.S.-Mexico border wall, reinstate the Remain in Mexico policy, increase Border Patrol personnel, and abolish birthright citizenship for children born in the U.S. to undocumented parents. Notably, he expressed his intention to undertake the “largest deportation program in American history.”
On Monday morning, the president-elect reaffirmed his commitment to this initiative by indicating plans to declare a national emergency, potentially utilizing military support to implement his mass deportation strategy.
In contrast, a rising number of Democratic leaders across the nation are distancing themselves from Trump’s initiatives aimed at repatriating undocumented migrants. Governors from Illinois, Massachusetts, California, and Arizona have publicly stated they will not permit their law enforcement agencies to assist in any forthcoming federal immigration enforcement actions. Similarly, the mayor of Boston has echoed this sentiment, while city officials in Los Angeles have proactively advanced sanctuary city legislation in anticipation of Trump’s second term in office.
In the midst of the ongoing border crisis exacerbated during the Biden-Harris administration, Texas has shown greater alignment with the president-elect’s plans. “I am committed to using every available means at my disposal to gain complete operational security at the border,” Buckingham wrote to Trump. “Please let me know if I can answer any questions you may have.”
