Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham on Tuesday said she was looking at several plots of land in the state that could be used by the incoming Donald Trump administration for deporting illegal migrants, in addition to a 1,402-acre ranch she had already offered to the president-elect.
Buckingham made the announcement at the launch of her "Jocelyn Initiative," which is designed to combat irregular immigration, in the town of La Casita-Garciasville. The scheme is named after Jocelyn Nungaray, a 12-year-old Houston girl who police allege was murdered earlier this year by two illegal migrants from Venezuela. Nungaray's mother and grandfather, Alexis and Jackie, also attended the event.
Trump made a pledge to crackdown on illegal immigration a key component of his successful 2024 presidential election campaign vowing: "The invasion will be stopped." Via social media on Monday, Trump indicated he plans to declare a national emergency and deploy the military to support deportation efforts.
On November 19, Buckingham wrote to Trump offering him the use of Sheerin Ranch, a 1,402-acre site in Starr County adjacent to the Rio Grande, which divides the United States from Mexico. In the letter, Buckingham said she wanted to support "the largest deportation of violent criminals in the nation's history."
Speaking to Newsweek the Texas General Land Office said the land was being offered to rent.
Speaking on Tuesday, Buckingham said: "I meant it when I said that I will do everything in my power to help this administration."
Referring to Sheerin Ranch, she added: "And that is why I'm announcing our offer has been extended beyond this property."
In an interview with The Texas Tribune, Buckingham said: "We have 13 million acres around the state, and if there's something that meets the federal government's needs, we want them to be able to utilize that."
Buckingham was asked by Hearst Newspapers, owners of The Houston Chronicle, whether the Trump administration had responded to her offer of land for its deportation efforts.
She replied: "I mean, they're obviously super busy, and so we're letting them do their thing. We just want to signal out that we're happy to be here and be a good partner.
"We've seen their public statements that they're interested and we'll have those talks when they're ready to have them."
The commissioner suggested the Trump administration could rent Texas Land Commission territory for its deportation program, which she described as a "win-win" because it would help improve security and funding for education in the state.
Newsweek contacted Trump's presidential transition team and the Texas Land Commission for comment on Wednesday via email outside of regular office hours.
Last week, Tom Homan, who Trump selected to be the "border czar" in his new administration, said the federal government would "absolutely" make use of the 1,402-acre site made available by Buckingham.
On Tuesday, Homan accompanied Texas Governor Greg Abbott on a visit to the Rio Grande valley.
Introducing Homan, Abbott told Texas law enforcement "there's help on the way," adding: "The cavalry is here, quite literally, with us here today."
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