March 31 (UPI) — A Texas land official has asked the Trump administration to lock down three border islands purportedly used by drug cartels to smuggle contraband into the United States.
Texas Land Commissioner Dr. Dawn Buckingham sent a letter to the White House Monday requesting that President Donald Trump have the U.S. Border Patrol collaborate with the Texas Military Department to take control of the islands in the Rio Grande River.
Buckingham wrote that the islands were determined by her agency, the Texas General Land Office, to be of “sovereign status” and are subject to American law enforcement operations.
She wants the federal government to secure and defend Beaver Island, a 20.3-arce island in Starr County and the Roma Islands, which are 12.13 and 20.3 acres and are situated near the city of Roma.
She alleged that the Roma islands have been known as a “smuggler’s paradise,” and that the islands should be cleared of vegetation and illicit activity to enhance border security and improve the safety of law enforcement agents and soldiers that serve in the area.
“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,” Buckingham said.
She added that she stands “ready and unwavering in my commitment to carry out this next critical step in the [land office’s] mission to help secure Texas’ southern border.”
