Texas Offers 1,400-Acre Land to Aid Trump's Mass Deportation Operation

McALLEN, Texas: Texas is offering a parcel of rural ranchland along US-Mexico border to use as a staging area for potential mass deportations under President-elect Donald Trump .

property, which Texas originally purchased last month, is located in rural Starr County in Rio Grande Valley. Republican Dawn Buckingham, Texas Land Commissioner, sent a letter Nov. 14 to Trump extending offer.

“We do hear through back channels that y are taking a look at it and considering it. But we just want m to know we’re a good partner. We’re here. We want to be helpful,” Buckingham told Associated Press in an interview on Wednesday.

property has no paved ros and sits in a county with one public hospital and limited local resources. But Buckingham stressed its location.

“We feel like this is actually very well-located. land is very flat re. It’s jacent to major airports. It’s also jacent to a bridge over river,” Buckingham said. “So if it’s helpful, n I would love to partner up with federal government. And if it’s not, n we’ll continue to look to ways to be helpful to m.”

land offer is latest illustration of a sharp divide between states and local governments on wher to support or resist Trump’s plans for mass deportations of migrants living in U.S. illegally. On Tuesday, Los Angeles City Council voted to become a “sanctuary” jurisdiction, limiting cooperation with federal immigration authorities to carry out deportations.

Texas leers have long backed aggressive measures on border to curb crossings, including installing razor-wire barriers and passing a law last year that would allow law enforcement to arrest migrants who cross border illegally.

“By offering this newly-acquired 1400-acre property to incoming Trump ministration for construction of a facility for processing, detention, and coordination of what will be largest deportation of violent criminals in our nation’s history, I stand united with 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 first day of his presidency. He frequently attacked illegal immigration during his campaign, linking a record spike in unauthorized border crossings to issues ranging from drug trafficking to high housing prices.

re are an estimated 11 million people in country illegally. Questions remain about how people would be identified and where y would be detained.

president-elect’s transition team did not say wher y would accept Texas’ offer but sent a statement.

“On day one, President Trump will marshal every lever of power to secure border, protect ir communities, and launch largest mass deportation operation of illegal immigrant criminals in history,” Karoline Leavitt, transition spokeswoman for Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance, said Wednesday.

Texas General Land Office did not disclose amount paid for land, but Buckingham stated previous owner resisted creation of a border wall.

A 1.5-mile (2.4 kilometer) stretch of border wall was built under Republican Gov. Greg Abbott in 2021 on that land. Buckingham said with recent purchase, state has created anor easement for more border wall construction.