Two years after Texas seized control of a "no man's island" on the Rio Grande that Mexican Cartels used for gunrunning & drug smuggling in Starr County, Texas Land Commissioner Dr. Dawn Buckingham is taking control of another island and has written President Trump seeking permission to seize a two more islands (one of which is partially controlled by the US Federal Government and Texas) she says the state's Military Department has identified as a "Smugglers Paradise."
Here's a closer look at the three Rio Grande Islands Texas wants to take back from the Mexican Cartels:
The two "Roma Islands," covering 12.13 and 20.3 acres, are, according to Dr. Buckingham, "currently being used by cartels for smuggling operations and stash sites for weapons and other illicit activities" and -she says - are state property.
The third island (known both as "Beaver" and "Bowers" Island) consists of about twenty acres - again on the Rio Grande - and is used by Mexican Cartels as a smuggling staging area. Dr. Buckingham says ownership is shared by the US Federal Government and the State Government of Texas.
Dr. Buckingham is requesting permission for Texas to seize control of the island, strip the vegetation the cartels are using for cover (as well as any structures they have built), and string razor-wire barriers along its Mexico-facing banks to deny the cartels access.
That's what Texas did with the far-larger (170-acre) Fronton Island in Starr County two years ago. That Rio Grande island was a major smuggling base for the Northeast Cartel (CDN) for many years - until Texas took control of it on October 2, 2023.
In the days leading up to the Texas Rangers landing on the island (and literally planting the Texas flag to assert control over what had, for years, been considered a "no man's land" on the Rio Grande), Texas and the US Federal Government documented illegal cartel activity there.
Surveillance cameras installed by the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) captured images of armed cartel smugglers moving through the cover of thick carizzo cane on the island.
The Border Patrol photographed rifles cartel gunmen threw into the Rio Grande off Fronton Island as they fled into Mexico from US Agents pursuing them from the Texas side of the river.
Texas Military Forces, along with its state police, took control of Fronton Island in what amounted to a carefully planned and well-executed military invasion. Despite the cartels' presence there for years, Texas took it back from them without firing a shot.
Next came "Operation Flat Top" as Texas quickly moved in heavy equipment to strip the island of heavy vegetation the Mexican cartels relied upon for cover for their illegal activities.
That's the future awaiting the two state-owned "Roma Islands" - and, if President Trump agrees to Texas' request for "Bowers" (also known as "Beaver") islands on the Rio Grande in Starr County, Texas.
"Every day, Texas Military Department soldiers and law enforcement risk their lives at the border to protect Texas citizens. Clearing vegetation and criminal operations on these cartel-ridden border islands will help safeguard the men and women who patrol our border, allowing them to continue defending Texas families and communities. I stand ready and unwavering in my commitment to carry out this next critical step in (my) mission to help secure Texas’ southern border." - Texas Land Commissioner Dr.Dawn Buckingham
Should President Trump allow Texas to seize control of a jointly-owned "Cartel Island"?
Share your opinion in the comments to this article.
Abrazos,
Jack Beavers
Excellent article. Thank you.
🇺🇸🫡
Don’t mess with Texas