MCALLEN, Texas — Texas is offering a parcel of rural ranchland along the U.S.-Mexico border to use as a staging area for possible mass deportations under newly elected President Donald Trump.
The property, which Texas originally purchased last month, is located in rural Starr County in the Rio Grande Valley. Republican Dawn Buckingham, the Texas land commissioner, sent a letter to Trump on November 14 extending the offer.
“We hear through the back channels that they are watching it and thinking about it. But we just want them to know that we are a good partner. We are here. We want to be helpful,” Buckingham said in an interview with the Associated Press on Wednesday.
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The property has no paved roads and is located in a county with one public hospital and limited local resources. But Buckingham emphasized its location.
“We feel like this is actually very well located. The land there is very flat. It is adjacent to major airports. It is also adjacent to a bridge over the river,” Buckingham said. “So if it’s helpful, I’d like to work with the federal government. And if not, we will continue to look for ways to help them.”
The land supply is the latest example of a sharp divide between states and local governments over whether to support or oppose Trump’s plans for mass deportations of migrants living in the U.S. illegally. On Tuesday, the Los Angeles City Council voted to become a “sanctuary” jurisdiction, limiting cooperation with federal immigration authorities in carrying out deportations.
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Texas leaders have long supported aggressive measures at the border to curb crossings, including erecting razor wire barriers and passing a law last year that would allow law enforcement to arrest migrants who cross illegally.
“By offering this newly acquired 1,400-acre property to the incoming Trump administration for the construction of a facility to process, detain and coordinate what will be the largest deportation of violent criminals in our nation’s history, I stand united with the president. Donald Trump to ensure American families are protected,” Buckingham said in an earlier statement.
Trump has said he plans to begin his deportation efforts on the first day of his presidency. During his campaign, he regularly attacked illegal immigration, linking a record spike in unauthorized border crossings to problems ranging from drug trafficking to high housing prices.
There are an estimated 11 million people in the country illegally. Questions remain about how people would be identified and where they would be held.
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The president-elect’s transition team did not say whether they would accept Texas’ offer but sent a statement.
“On day one, President Trump will use all his might to secure the border, protect their communities and launch the largest mass deportation operation of illegal immigrant criminals in history,” said Karoline Leavitt, Trump’s transition spokeswoman and newly elected deputy. president. J.D. Vance, said Wednesday.
The Texas General Land Office did not disclose the amount paid for the land, but Buckingham stated that the previous owner opposed the creation of a border wall.
A 1.5-mile border wall was built on that land in 2021 under Republican Gov. Greg Abbott. Buckingham said with the recent purchase, the state has created a new easement for the construction of more border walls.
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