Red state buys massive land to boost border wall efforts

After the Biden administration abruptly canceled the Trump-era project, Gov. Greg Abbott said in 2021 that cash will be allocated to a state project to resume wall building.

In the Rio Grande, Abbott has constructed a floating buoy barrier as well. His government has connected the decrease in fears to the hurdles and a larger state initiative, as Fox News reported.

The site was sought by the Texas Facilities Commission, which is responsible for erecting the wall, according to Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham, who spoke with Fox News Digital.

Officials claim this area along the Rio Grande has been a hub for human trafficking, weapon smuggling, and drug smuggling, so the acquisition of a 1,400-acre ranch there is a huge step toward their goal of constructing a wall along the border with Mexico.

From Land Officials

The ranch in Starr County, located in the Rio Grande Sector of the Border Patrol, which witnessed a significant influx of migrants, has been purchased by the Texas General Land Office (GLO).

As a result, the GLO currently has over 4,000 acres of border land in Starr Country, divided between two parcels.

"They said, ‘Look, it's in the main area of where we're seeing the traffic across the border. We have terrible things happening on this piece of property. The current owner is not only blocking the border wall, but she is blocking law enforcement's access to that property,'" she said.

"'And to really get complete operational control of the border, we really need to control this piece of ground.’ So we made her an offer. We found a way to purchase her ranch from her."

Current Progress

Buckingham said the state has bulldozed the land and expects work to start soon.

Despite being part of a larger border security effort, Buckingham reported "a massive amount of human traffic" on the property. Her office stated the acquisition includes "rape trees," where migrants displayed women's clothing as prizes after abuse.

"It's at an area of great impact, it's in an area where we see lots of people coming across all of the time, not only seeing the people coming across, but seeing those women and children who are abused and victimized. We're seeing drugs. We're seeing weapons. We're seeing all kinds of things coming across this particular part of the border," she said.

Buckingham pointed out that this is on top of other measures taken by Texas, such as the recent pronouncement of Fronton Island as state property, to prevent unauthorized crossings of the area.