Today, Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham, M.D. is pleased to announce a signed continued agreement with the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), to allow DPS to continue operating and maintaining border fencing on the Texas General Land Office (GLO) property in Starr County.
"As Land Commissioner and a proud Texan, I do not mess around when it comes to ensuring the safety of our families and communities," said Commissioner Buckingham. "I am dedicated to supporting border security in our state, and I am proud to continue working with the Texas Department of Public safety to secure our southern border. Rest assured that the Texas General Land Office will always step in when we can, and ensure our communities are protected when the federal government refuses to do so."
Commissioner Dawn Buckingham pictured at the Texas-Mexico border in February 2024
On December 8, 2023, GLO and DPS entered into a Right of Entry Agreement allowing DPS to operate and maintain temporary fencing along the Rio Grande on GLO’s property in Starr County. This agreement has helped both cooperating state agencies safeguard Texas communities and assist our state in its robust border security efforts.
The new term of the agreement starts on November 17, 2024.
Starr County is part of the Border Patrol’s Rio Grande Valley Sector. This border sector has recorded thousands upon thousands of migrant encounters and asylum-seekers crossing the Rio Grande from Mexico into South Texas since January 2021. Fronton Island, a 170 acre located in Starr County, was declared Texas land last year by Commissioner Buckingham. Since being fortified by DPS and the Texas Military Department, crime on this border hotspot has dropped to nothing.