Dawn Buckingham, the Texas General Land Office Commissioner, has made a significant decision to support former President Donald Trump’s deportation plans.
The plan includes utilizing a large tract of state land to facilitate and expedite the deportation of migrants, Mail Online reported.
The new agreement makes all 13 million acres of Texas state-owned land available for efforts led by Trump and his border czar, Tom Homan. Officials adopted this strategy primarily because acquiring federal land takes more time and costs more.
A 1,402-acre ranch located in the Rio Grande Valley has been earmarked by Buckingham to set up a deportation center.
This location's selection could streamline the deportation process for migrants by having a dedicated facility close to the border.
Following her decision, Buckingham has stepped up her public interactions, appearing more frequently in media to discuss the strategy and its implications on Texas and federal immigration enforcement policies.
The U.S. Government faces high costs in deporting illegal immigrants, with estimated expenses of around $88 billion annually, if it were to deport a million immigrants per year.
According to Tom Homan, the logistic benefits of using state land are considerable.
Tom Homan emphasized, "They'd be moving in and out. One day, we might have a flight to the El Salvadoran nations; the next day, we might have a flight to Asia. There's 1,400 acres of land. That saves us from having to acquire that land. The government never buys things real fast. When we do, we overpay for it, so having this from the state of Texas is great."
Homan highlighted that the facility could potentially operate flights daily, sending migrants back to various countries, indicating a fast-paced operation once fully functional.
Although leaders have set the plans at a high level, local communities, particularly in places like El Paso, are likely to oppose them due to the city’s history of advocating for a more compassionate approach toward immigration.
Laura Cruz-Acosta, a spokeswoman for the City of El Paso, emphasized the need for comprehensive federal immigration reform instead of localized depositional approaches.
The International Boundary and Water Commission has also expressed concerns about potential legal issues arising from trespassing on federal land during the state’s execution of these plans.
Buckingham’s actions align closely with her previously stated goals of securing the Texas border, which has included her claims about beneficial uses of state land against cartels and other illegal activities.
This move is in line with her robust stance on immigration and border security, which was a cornerstone of her campaign for office in 2022.
In the process of assisting the federal deportation efforts, Texas has already begun construction on sections of the state border wall in Starr County, which runs along the Rio Grande.
The combination of using state land for federal immigration efforts and enhancing physical border security measures indicates a significant shift towards more assertive border control policies under Dawn Buckingham’s oversight.
As this development unfolds, the balance between federal immigration control and state-level property utilization will remain a topic of both local and national discussion. This approach exemplifies a robust collaboration posited to significantly impact both the pace and efficacy of deportation processes within the U.S.
